Simulation of Proposed 20 KW Klystron Free Electron Laser.

Abstract

The Free Electron Laser (FEL) is a potential solution for the U.S. Navy's anti-ship missile point defense by providing an evolutionary increase in weapon accuracy. To become an effective weapon, the FEL will need to provide an average optical power of approximately one MW. Towards this goal, the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF) in Newport News, Virginia is constructing the first kW FEL, and desires to improve the design to 20 kW while maintaining less than 6% energy spread. Using a klystron undulator is one potential way to accomplish this. Given design parameters of a proposed free electron laser by TJNAF, this study quantifies via simulation the behaviors of gain, power and energy spread as functions of desynchronism and a klystron's dispersive strength. Specifically, it shows that a conventional undulator appears capable of meeting all TJNAF design requirements.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA349758

Entities

People

  • R. E. Legear

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Defense
  • Amplifiers
  • Anti-Ship Missiles
  • Defense Systems
  • Electron Beams
  • Electrons
  • Free Electron Lasers
  • Free Electrons
  • Klystrons
  • Laser Applications
  • Lasers
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Optomechanics
  • Point Defense
  • Simulations
  • United States
  • Weapons

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Maritime and Naval Warfare Studies
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Microelectronics