Proposal for Intense Attosecond Radiation from an X-Ray Free-Electron Laser

Abstract

We propose the use of an ultrarelativistic electron beam interacting with a few-cycle, intense laser pulse and an intense pulse of the coherent x rays to produce a multi-MW intensity, x-ray pulses approximately 100 attoseconds in duration. Because of a naturally occurring frequency chirp, these pulses can be further temporally compressed.