The resonant frequency of a free electron laser may be modulated via the undulator or electron beam parameters. This modulation may generate sidebands which can subsequently undergo amplification, analogous to frequency modulation in a conventional cavity laser. However, due to the relative slippage of the light through the relativistic electron beam, the FM-FEL system has a more complex behavior than its conventional laser counterpart. The system may be described in the linear regime by a

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... tion over exponential gain modes, allowing the amplification of multiple light frequencies simultaneously. It is found that, with only small, few percent variations of the FEL parameters, one may generate and amplify multiple modes within a frequency bandwidth which greatly exceeds that of normal FEL operation.