High Harmonic Radiation from a Low-K Biharmonic Planar Undulator

Abstract

High harmonic generation by an undulator is a key issue for extending the photon energy range of synchrotron light sources. In this work, we propose a biharmonic planar undulator operating in the low-K regime (K<1) to enhance high-harmonic radiation. By superimposing a 1/3 subharmonic undulator field onto a short-period superconducting undulator, a biharmonic undulator is formed. The on-axis intensities of the 5th and 7th harmonics are significantly enhanced, corresponding to radiation near the 2nd harmonic of the short-period superconducting undulator. The results are confirmed by both theoretical analysis and numerical simulations using SPECTRA. It shows that the biharmonic configuration effectively overcomes the limitations of low-K undulators for high harmonic generation. In this study, reasonable undulator parameters are selected with full consideration of technical challenges. The simulation indicates that an unprecedented photon flux in the 16-22 keV energy range can be achieved with a 3.5 GeV beam, offering a promising approach for high brightness, short-wavelength synchrotron radiation.