In this paper, a division-of-amplitude photopolarimeter (DOAP) for measuring the polarization state of free-electron laser (FEL) pulse is described. The incident FEL beam is divided into four separate beams, and four Stokes parameters can be measured
in a single-shot. In the crossed-planar undulators experiment at Shanghai deep ultraviolet FEL test facility, this DOAP instrument constructed in house responses accurately and timely while the polarization-state of fully coherent FEL pulses are switched, which is helpful for confirming the crossed-planar undulators technique for short-wavelength FELs.
Fast polarization switching of light sources is required over a wide spectral range to investigate the symmetry of matter. In this Letter, we report the first experimental demonstration of the crossed-planar undulator technique at a seeded free-elect
ron laser, which holds great promise for the full control and fast switching of the polarization of short-wavelength radiation. In the experiment, the polarization state of the coherent radiation at the 2nd harmonic of the seed laser is switched successfully. The experiment results confirm the theory, and pave the way for applying the crossed-planar undulator technique for the seeded X-ray free electron lasers.
