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  • Open Access

Two-color x-ray free-electron laser based on self-seeding configuration

Yixuan Liu1,2,*, Kai Hu3,*, Chuan Yang3,4,†, Tao Liu1, Dong Wang1, and Weiqing Zhang5

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: yangc@mail.iasf.ac.cn

Phys. Rev. Accel. Beams 29, 060701 – Published 11 June, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/7457-fzgz

Abstract

Generating two-color x-ray pulses is crucial for the research of ultrafast dynamics. The development of x-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) has enabled the production of high-power ultrashort two-color x-ray pulses. In this work, we propose a two-color XFEL scheme based on a self-seeding configuration. A chirped x-ray pulse is first generated by a chirped electron beam in the first undulator. Then the chirped electron beam passes through a chicane, and the chirped x-ray pulse passes through a multilayer-based two-color filter to produce a two-color seed. Finally, this seed is amplified to saturation by the electron beam in the second undulator, yielding ultrashort two-color x-ray pulses with spectral-temporal separation. This scheme offers a novel approach for producing ultrashort two-color XFEL pulses.

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