RAMAN SPECTRA AND THE LOS ALAMOS FREE-ELECTRON LASER.

Abstract

Spectra have been obtained of the light generated near 10 mu m by the Los Alamos free-electron laser. The spectra contain a main line and copious sidebands, mostly to the long-wavelength side of the main line. The spectra vary in overall width as the detuning parameter is altered or as the sidebands are preferentially allowed to escape the optical cavity. A comparison is made between these measurements and the results of numerical simulations. The work is divided into three parts: a brief discussion of transient problems and their relationship to measurements of the evolution of the spectra with time; the results of varying the length of the optical cavity; and the results of experiments to narrow the spectra with a frequency-selective mirror system.