A new THz/IR/UV photon source at Jefferson Lab is the first of a new generation of light sources based on an Energy-Recovered, (superconducting) Linac (ERL). The machine has a 160 MeV electron beam and an average current of 10 mA in 75 MHz repetition rate hundred femtosecond bunches.These electron bunches pass through a magnetic chicane and therefore emit synchrotron radiation. For wavelengths longer than the electron bunch the electrons radiate coherently a broadband THz $ half cycle pulse whose average brightness is 45 orders of magnitude higher than synchrotron IR sources. Previous measurements showed 20 W of average power extracted [Carr, et al., Nature 420 (2002) 153]. The new facility offers simultaneous synchrotron light from the visible through the FIR along with broadband THz production of 100 fs pulses with 4200 W of average power.The FELs also provide record-breaking laser power [Neil, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 84 (2000) 662]: up to 10 kW of average power in the IR from 1 to 14 mm in 400 fs pulses at up to 74.85 MHz repetition rates and soon will produce similar pulses of 300-1000 nm light at up to 3 kW of average power from the UV FEL. These ultrashort pulses are ideal for maximizing the interaction with material surfaces. The optical beams are Gaussian with nearly perfect beam quality. See www.jlab.org/FEL for details of the operating characteristics; a wide variety of pulse train configurations are feasible from 10 ms long at high repetition rates to continuous operation.The THz and IR system has been commissioned. The UV system is to follow in 2005. The light is transported to user laboratories for basic and applied research. Additional lasers synchronized to the FEL are also available. Past activities have included production of carbon nanotubes, studies of vibrational relaxation of interstitial hydrogen in silicon, pulsed laser deposition and ablation, nitriding of metals, and energy flow in proteins. This paper will present the status of the system and discuss some of the discoveries we have made concerning the physics performance, design optimization, and operational limitations of such a first generation high power ERL light source. r

The multipass, multibunch beam breakup (BBU) instability imposes a potentially severe limitation to the average current that can be accelerated in an energy-recovery linac. Simulation results for Jefferson Lab's free electron laser (FEL) upgrade driver are presented which predict the occurrence of BBU below the nominal operating current of the machine. In agreement with simulation, BBU was observed and preliminary measurements to identify the higher-order mode causing the instability are shown. In addition, measurements performed to experimentally determine the threshold current are described. Using a newly developed two-dimensional BBU simulation code, we study the effect of optical suppression techniques, first proposed in 1980 [R. E. Rand and T. I. Smith, Part. Accel. 11, 1 (1980)], on the threshold current of the FEL. Specifically we consider the effect of (1) reflecting the betatron planes about an axis that is at 45 between the vertical and horizontal axes and (2) rotating the betatron planes by 90 . In two-pass recirculators, a 90 rotation can be effective at increasing the threshold current for BBU. The successful installation of a five skew-quadrupole reflector in the backleg of the FEL has been shown to be effective at suppressing the instability and comments on preliminary operational experience will be given.

In recirculating accelerators, and in particular energy recovery linacs (ERLs), the maximum current has been limited by multipass, multibunch beam breakup (BBU), which occurs when the electron beam interacts with the higher-order modes (HOMs) of an accelerating cavity on the accelerating pass and again on the energy recovered pass. This effect is of particular concern in the design of modern high average current energy recovery accelerators utilizing superconducting RF technology. Experimental observations of the instability at the Jefferson Laboratory 10 kW Free-Electron Laser (FEL) are presented. Measurements of the threshold current for the instability are presented and compared to the predictions of several BBU simulation codes. With BBU posing a threat to high current beam operation in the FEL Driver, several suppression schemes were developed. These include direct damping of the dangerous HOMs and appropriately modifying the electron beam optics. Preliminary results of their effectiveness in raising the threshold current for stability are presented.

Operation of the JLab IR Upgrade FEL at CW powers in excess of 10 kW requires sustained production of high electron beam powers by the driver ERL. This in turn demands attention to numerous issues and effects, including: cathode lifetime; control of beamline and RF system vacuum during high current operation; longitudinal space charge; longitudinal and transverse matching of irregular/large volume phase space distributions; halo management; management of remnant dispersive effects; resistive wall, wake-field, and RF heating of beam vacuum chambers; the beam break up instability; the impact of coherent synchrotron radiation (both on beam quality and the performance of laser optics); magnetic component stability and reproducibility; and RF stability and reproducibility. We discuss our experience with these issues and describe the modus vivendi that has evolved during prolonged high current, high power beam and laser operation.

In recirculating accelerators, and, in particular, energy-recovery linacs, the maximum current can be limited by multipass, multibunch beam breakup (BBU), which occurs when the electron beam interacts with the higher-order modes (HOMs) of an accelerating cavity on the accelerating pass and again on the energy recovering pass. This effect is of particular concern in the design of modern high average current energy-recovery accelerators utilizing superconducting rf technology. Experimental characterization and observations of the instability at the Jefferson Laboratory 10 kW free electron laser (FEL) are presented. Measurements of the threshold current for the instability are made under a variety of beam conditions and compared to the predictions of several BBU simulation codes. This represents the first time in which the codes have been experimentally benchmarked. With BBU posing a threat to high current beam operation in the FEL driver, several suppression schemes were developed. These include direct damping of the dangerous HOM using cavity feedback and modifying the electron beam optics so as to reduce the coupling between the beam and mode. Both methods were shown to increase the threshold current for stability. Beam optical suppression techniques, in particular, have proved to be so effective that they are routinely used in the normal operations of the FEL Upgrade Driver.