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Undulator information

This page contains information about the undulator, the component in the free-electron laser that generates the laser beam.

Overview

  • An undulator is essentially a collection of dipole magnets assembled in rows, each pair alternating in polarity.
  • These are put in the path of the electron beam to cause the beam to oscillate in a sinusoidal left-to-right motion.
  • Due to this oscillation, the electrons in the electron beam radiate EM energy (the precise term is synchrotron radiation).
  • This energy is in the form of light (or microwaves) which can be focused and absorbed elsewhere, just like a conventional laser.

Info

More information about the overall design can be found here on our research docs.

Preview of the undulator CAD model:

A 3D render of the undulator in CAD software

Constructed undulator photos:

  • Undulator view 1
  • Undulator view 2
  • Undulator view 3
  • Undulator view 4

Measurements and Details

  • End cap internal measurements for the microwave reflectors: disk, 3cm outer radius, 1cm inner radius
  • Inter-segment collar: 31 mm
  • \(\lambda_u = \text{8 cm}\) -> undulator period aka double segment, [For a single magnetic period] (tessellated segment).
  • Interlock distance 15.3522 -> check again odd sizing.
  • \(w = \text{13 mm}\) -> electron beam shaft diameter
  • \(L = \text{438.7 mm}\) -> total resonant cavity length.
  • \(h = \text{175.4 mm}\) -> height of undulator

Future Plans for the Undulator Design

In the future, we plan to make a few improvements: - Create a magnet distance adjustor, instead of a static holder in the current design - Create a physical attachment point to the rest of the system - Make the spacing for the magnets adjustible (potentially) - Make it possible to change the number of magnets desired modularly

# Recommended reading