X-ray optics power considerations for high intensity x-ray free-electron lasers based on superconducting technology

摘要

X-ray free-electron lasers generate ultrashort and very intense x-ray radiation in the wavelength domain reaching from the VUV (100 nm and shorter) all the way to the hard x-ray domain (typically 0.1 nm). FEL radiation features extreme brilliance, ultrashort pulse duration, and high peak power. Superconducting accelerators provide furthermore the possibility to accelerate a large number of electron bunches during a single radio-frequency pulse. Likewise the total number of x-ray pulses available for the experiments is increased leading to a significantly higher average brilliance. FEL light sources, and those based on super-conducting accelerator technology, are therefore considered to provide a new quality of short wavelength radiation if compared to existing x-ray sources. The high intensity and the high repetition rate lead to new requirements for x-ray optics in terms of peak and average power. Values for peak and average power are presented in relation to the proposed realization of the photon beamlines at the European XFEL facility.