Precisely synchronized X-ray and strong-field coherent terahertz (THz) enable the coherent THz excitation of many fundamental modes (THz pump) and the capturing of X-ray dynamic images of matter (X-ray probe), while the generation of such a light source is still a challenge for most existing techniques. In this paper, a novel X-ray free-electron laser based light source is proposed to produce a synchronized high-powered X-ray pulse and strong field, widely frequency tunable coherent THz pulse simultaneously. The technique adopts a frequency beating laser modulated electron bunch with a Giga-electron-volt beam energy to generate an X-ray pulse and a THz pulse sequentially by passing two individual undulator sections with different magnetic periods. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations are carried out using the beam parameters of the Shanghai soft X-ray free-electron laser facility. The results show that the technique can generate synchronized 4 nm X-ray radiation with a peak power of 1.89 GW, and narrow-band THz radiation with a pulse energy of 1.62 mJ, and the frequency of THz radiation can be continuously tuned from 0.1 to 40 THz. The proposed technique can be used for THz pump and X-ray probe experiments for dynamic research on the interaction between THz pulse and matter at a femtosecond time scale.

Terahertz (THz) radiation sources are increasingly significant for many scientific frontiers, while the generation of THz radiation with high-power at wide-tunable frequencies is still a limitation for most existing methods. In this paper, a compact accelerator-based light source is proposed to produce coherent THz radiation with high pulse energy and tunable frequency from 0.1 THz to 60 THz. By using a frequency beating laser-modulated electron beam and undulator taper, intense coherent THz radiation can be generated through undulators. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed technique can generate narrow-bandwidth THz radiation with a pulse energy up to 6.3 millijoule (mJ) and the three-dimensional effects of beam has limited influence on its performance. The proposed technique will open up new opportunities for THz spectroscopic and time-resolved experiments.

The x-ray vortex optical beam, distinguished by its topological charge and orbital angular momentum, offers new insights in probing complex electronic structures, enhancing material characterization, and advancing high-resolution imaging techniques. Here we propose a novel and reliable method to generate intense x-ray vortices with tunable wavelengths in high-gain free-electron lasers (FELs). By simply adjusting the wavefront tilt of the radiation pulse during the FEL gain process, high-quality vortex beam can be amplified until saturation. Compared with existing methods for FEL vortex generation, the proposed technique offers broader wavelength tunability and can be easily implemented in high-gain FEL facilities, regardless of the operating modes.

Self-seeding free-electron laser (FEL) enables the generation of a quasi-fully coherent hard x-ray pulse, and yet the stability of the pulse energy remains to be enhanced. Combining self-seeding with the superradiance, we propose a scheme for generating hard x-ray pulses characterized by stable intensity and narrow bandwidth. In this scheme, a large energy chirp is induced at the bunch head using a few-cycle laser. Powerful FEL radiation is generated in the linear chirp region and further evolves into an intensity-stable, single-spike spectral structure in the nonlinear chirp region. This evolution is driven by the superradiant effect, which utilizes the interaction between a nonlinear undulator taper and the nonlinear chirp of the bunch head. A diamond monochromator filters a narrow-bandwidth spectrum from the stable pulse, which is subsequently amplified to FEL saturation through interaction with the flat–top of the bunch tail. Numerical simulations and statistical analysis indicate that the stability of the hard x-ray FEL pulse is improved to 1.5%, providing a feasible pathway to generate stable and coherent hard x-ray pulses, enhancing the application potential of hard x-ray FEL facilities.

Terahertz (THz) radiation has become a significant tool in cutting-edge research due to its superior properties. THz vortices with tunable orbital angular momentum (OAM) are particularly attractive to the scientific community due to their well-defined discrete azimuthal phase around the propagation axis. However, the generation of high-power THz radiation with OAM remains a challenge for most existing technologies. In this paper, a new method for generating coherent high-power THz vortices with tunable OAM and frequency is proposed by combining frequency beating and transverse phase mask shaping techniques. Theoretical analyses and numerical simulations indicate that this method can generate coherent THz vortices with peak powers in the tens of megawatts and tunable topological charge numbers.