First Beam through the Free Electron Laser Narrow Gap Vessel
On Monday 21st of December 2009 the ALICE team at Daresbury successfully transported a 30 MeV electron beam through the narrow free electron laser (FEL) vacuum vessel. The vessel was installed in November 2009 to accommodate the FEL wiggler magnet. This is a major step in the commissioning of the UK’s first such FEL. Free Electron Lasers (FELs) represent an increasingly important kind of light source with ultra short pulses of a brightness that can be up to one billion times higher than that of ordinary synchrotron light. ALICE will provide an R&D test bed where scientists can study this novel type of device and the light it produces. In the New Year the ALICE team will continue the extensive programme of commissioning toward lasing, which is expected by spring 2010.
31 August 2010