Study of a three-wave laser accelerator

A particle accelerator of IFEL-type that employs three laser beams in vacuum is proposed. The synchronism condition is given. An approximate expression for the particle's energy as a function of time is derived which shows that the energy increases as the square root of time, amplitudes, and wavelengths of the electromagnetic waves. The approximate algebraic results are tested against numerical integration of the exact equations of motion of the particle. Finally, the accelerator acceptances are discussed