Design and simulation challenges for FERMI@elettra

FERMI@elettra is a fourth-generation light source user facility under construction at the Elettra Laboratory in Trieste, Italy. The high-quality 1.2 GeV electron beam drives two-seeded Free Electron Lasers (FELs) in the wavelength range 100−10 nm. Wavelength tunability, variable polarization and higher electron beam energies to reach even shorter output wavelengths are also in the machine delivery plan. This paper describes the physics processes that have been modelled to simulate FERMI@elettra and the computer codes used to optimize the machine design. The paper focuses on several design challenges and how these translate into modelling and simulation challenges.