Ultraviolet and soft X-ray free electron lasers

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The global interest in coherent X-ray light sources has led to significant efforts in developing X-ray lasers, particularly the free-electron laser (FEL), which promises ultra-bright X-ray pulses of femtosecond duration. This book focuses exclusively on the FEL approach, without comparing it to other types of X-ray lasers. It serves as an introductory text aimed at newcomers to the field, including graduate students, accelerator physicists, engineers, and technicians, rather than as a scientific monograph for experts. The content is based on lectures from one author at the CERN Accelerator School and a series of seminars on FEL theory for non-specialists by the other author at DESY. The book presents the theory of low-gain and high-gain FELs in clear mathematical language, emphasizing the assumptions and approximations necessary for deriving the differential equations that describe FEL dynamics. While the authors strive for simplicity, some mathematical derivations may still be complex. However, they believe there is no easier approach to FEL theory available. More intricate calculations are included in the appendices for reference.