| SPARC Pictures |
|
There are no translations available. SPARX has already seen relevant steps of development, namely in the construction of the Test Facility (SPARC), dedicated to a robust R&D program on ultra-brilliant electron beam LINACs, and on FEL physics. SPARC was approved and funded in 2003 by the Italian Ministry of Research in the framework of the national strategic research program (FISR), and got additional support by the EUROFEL Projet within the 6th Framework Programme of the UE. The test facility is now completed, hosting a 150 MeV electron beam LINAC which feeds a 12 meters long undulator. The LINAC has been commissioned and the tests of most critical FEL components have been successfully completed, including High-Order Harmonic Generation (HHG), based on the interaction between the laser beam and a gas target, used for the seeding experiment. During the last commissioning days the spontaneous emission from the undulators has been observed. In the coming weeks and months an exciting R&D program is expected to be performed in order to generate the classical SASE radiation, and perform the testing of innovative radiation generation schemes based on the “seeding” process” and High Gain Harmonic Generation (HGHG) which can extend the operating wavelength of SPARX-FEL down to sub nano-meter region. First observation of radiation from undulator has been observed recently and an intense R&D program is currently preformed on the generation of SASE and seeded FEL. A complete description of SPARC test facility is given in a chapter 3. It must be said that besides the excellent scientific results achieved with the SPARC test facility, a highly qualified and adeguate team of experts - which covers all technical and scientific fields - has grown around this activity. |
