Nonlinear harmonic generation in high-gain free-electron lasers

We reconsider the derivation of semianalytical expressions providing the most significant aspects of the high-gain free-electron laser dynamics. We obtain new expressions for the growth of the laser power, of the e-beam-induced energy spread, and of the higher-order nonlinearly generated harmonics. The procedure we employ, based on theoretical ansatz and fitting methods, allows the determination of crucial quantities like the expected harmonic output power and its dependences on the e-beam parameters. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.