OPAL-FEL | Optimized Laser Pulses for Free-Electron Lasers

DASHH Doctoral Researcher: Alexander Klemps

Supervisors: Dr. Henrik Tünnermann (DESY), Dr. Ye Lining Chen (DESY), Prof. Nihat Ay (TUHH)

Modeling large-scale research facilities is extremely challenging due to the complexity of the physical processes and long simulation run times. The aim of the OPAL-FEL project is to develop and use artificial intelligence and machine learning methods to model the photoinjectors of electron accelerators and to improve crucial beam properties. To improve the performance of the accelerator and also to ensure its competitiveness with other facilities such as the LCLS II in the US or Shine in China, it is essential to optimize the European XFEL for operation in continuous-wave (CW) mode. In CW mode, however, the preservation of the superconductivity of the accelerating resonators requires a reduction of the beam energy and is associated with an increase in the geometric beam emittance, which prohibits the generation of X-ray pulses of shortest wavelength within the existing undulator systems. The minimization of the emittance of photoinjectors is of great importance for linear accelerators for the operation of extreme ultraviolet free-electron lasers in general, as it decisively determines the maximum achievable photon energy for a given electron energy. The main research goal of the project is not only the implementation of a digital twin to optimize the beam emittance at generation in a photoinjector, but also to benchmark this approach with conventional simulation and optimization techniques. Doing so, we aim to show that the general approach of the project achieves outstanding results in optimal control of the considered physical processes, outperforming classical methods.