Transverse Gradient Undulator in a Storage Ring Free Electron Laser Oscillator

Accelerator-driven light sources, such as electron storage rings (SRs) and free-electron lasers (FELs), are valuable instruments of scientific discovery thanks to their unparalleled ability to produce extremely bright beams of X-ray light. In this thesis, we will discuss the implementation of the storage ring X-ray FEL oscillator (SRXFELO). The SRXFELO has the potential to combine the strengths of the SR and FEL, thereby surpassing the performance of both in terms of average photon brightness and coherence. Our analysis will be based on a mix of theory and simulation. We begin by discussing the foundational physics of SRs and FELs. We then zoom in on the theoretical basis of the transverse gradient undulator (TGU) as a method to mitigate the SR energy spread deficiency. Next, we construct a custom simulation framework in order to model the SRXFELO from start to end. We use this framework to simulate a hypothetical SRXFELO design based on realistic machine parameters, and report on projected performance and implementation strategies. Finally, we examine challenges associated with the X-ray cavity, such as beam alignment and optical phase purity, in the context of the Cavity-based X-ray FEL (CBXFEL) experiment located at SLAC