| Summary: | The efficiency of a free-electron laser can be enhanced by the phase jump method. The method utilizes the phase-shifting chicanes in the drift sections between the undulator segments. By applying appropriate phase jumps, the microbunched electron beam can decelerate and radiate coherently beyond the initial saturation, enabling further energy transfer to the optical beam. This article presents a new physics model for the phase jump method, and supports it with numerical simulations. Based on the electron dynamics in the longitudinal phase space, the model describes the energy extraction mechanism, and addresses the selection criteria for the phase jump magnitude. While the ponderomotive bucket is stationary, energy can be extracted from electrons outside the bucket. With the aid of the new model, a comparison is made between the phase jump method and undulator tapering. The model also explores the potential of the phase jump method to suppress the growth of synchrotron sidebands in the optical spectrum.
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