Coherent SASE FEL with electron beams prebunched in a masked chicane

We present a new FEL concept based on coherent, self-amplified spontaneous emission of electron beams that are prebunched in a chicane buncher. In this scheme a chirped electron bunch is focused in the middle of the magnetic chicane where a transmission mask consisting of a series of slits modulates the transmitted beam current. With the appropriate slit spacing, the output of the chicane is a compressed pulse whose density is modulated at the resonant wavelength. It is then injected into a short, untapered wiggler with periods 2γ2(1+ aw) times the beam modulation wavelength. Due to prebunched nature of the beam, the emitted radiation exhibits coherent amplification analogous to the mutual coherency of radiation emitted in multiple undulators. In addition, because the bunch has a chirp, the interaction is similar to that in a tapered wiggler. The new scheme is also applicable to coherent x-ray production via Compton backscattering