Deep saturated Free Electron Laser oscillators and frozen spikes

We analyze the behavior of Free Electron Laser (FEL) oscillators operating in the deep saturated regime and point out the formation of sub-peaks of the optical pulse. These are very stable configurations and the sub-peaks are found to have a duration corresponding to the coherence length. We speculate on the physical mechanisms underlying their growth and attempt an identification with natural mode-locked structures in FEL oscillators. Their impact on the intra-cavity nonlinear harmonic generation is also discussed along with the possibility of exploiting them as cavity out-coupler.