Operation of a compact free-electron laser in the millimeter-wave region with a bunched electron beam

Abstract

The waveguide operation of a compact free-electron laser driven by a 2.3-MeV S-band microtron is reported. Power up to 1 kW in 4-\ensuremath{\mu}s pulses has been generated at wavelengths in the range between 2.1 and 2.6 mm. Novel tuning features and temporal characteristics of the emitted radiation, related to the bunched nature of the electron beam and to the dispersive effect of the waveguide, have been observed.