The VISA FEL undulator

The Visible-Infrared SASE Amplifier (VISA) FEL is an experimental device designed to show Self Amplified Spontaneous Emission (SASE) to saturation in the visible light energy range. It will generate a resonant wavelength output from 800--600 nm, so that silicon detectors may be used to characterize the optical properties of the FEL radiation. VISA is the first SASE FEL designed to reach saturation, and its diagnostics will provide important checks of theory. This paper includes a description of the VISA undulator, the magnet measuring and shimming system, and the alignment strategy. VISA will have a 4 m pure permanent magnet undulator comprising four 99 cm segments, each with 55 periods of 18 mm length. The undulator has distributed focusing built into it, to reduce the average beta function of the 70--85 MeV electron beam to about 30 cm. There are four FODO cells per segment. The permanent magnet focusing lattice consists of blocks mounted on either side of the electron beam, in the undulator gap. The most important undulator error parameter for a free electron laser is the trajectory walkoff or lack of overlap of the photon and electron beams. Using pulsed wire magnet measurements and magnet shimming, the authors expect to be able to control trajectory walkoff to less than {+-}50 pm per field gain length.