Coherent Startup of an Infrared Free-Electron Laser

Coherent enhancement of the spontaneous undulator radiation by several orders of magnitude has been observed in a free-electron laser at wavelengths from 40 to 100 mum. The coherent emission can be explained by details of the electron-beam micropulse structure. Furthermore, it has been found that the phase of the optical micropulses is fixed by the electron pulse structure and that the coherence extends over successive optical micropulses, which gives rise to interference effects as a function of the optical cavity length in a laser oscillator.