Predicting the coherent X-ray wavefront focal properties at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray free electron laser

The first X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) at keV energies will be the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), located at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Scheduled to begin operation in 2009, this first-of-a-kind X-ray source will produce ultra-short X-ray pulses of unprecedented brightness in the 0.8 to 8 keV first harmonic photon energy regime. Much effort has been invested in predicting and modeling the XFEL photon source properties at the undulator exit; however, as most LCLS experiments are ultimately dependent on the beam focal spot properties it is equally as important to understand the XFEL beam at the endstations where the experiments are performed. Here, we use newly available precision surface metrology data from actual LCLS mirrors combined with a scalar diffraction model to predict the LCLS beam properties in the experiment chambers. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America