Noninterferometric method for transverse electron beam size diagnostic with synchrotron radiation at a free-electron laser

We present a noninterferometric method for measuring the transverse electron beam size at the European XFEL based on synchrotron radiation intensity autocorrelation. The technique enables cell-by-cell diagnostics along the SASE1 undulator using existing hardware: a commissioning monochromator and a spatial x-ray detector. We extend the results of [A. Trebushinin , companion paper, First observation of synchrotron radiation spikes for transverse electron beam size measurements at a free-electron laser, .] focusing on data analysis procedures and technical implementation. Our method allows for extraction of the beam size from noisy measured intensity distributions with a signal-to-noise ratio as low as 0.9 and is capable of distinguishing between the projected and slice sizes. To validate our approach, we introduced a mismatch in the magnetic lattice, inducing a controlled sinusoidal variation in the beam size along the undulator. The corresponding modulation was clearly reproduced in the electron beam size values extracted from the autocorrelation measurements. This method offers a practical solution for transverse electron beam size diagnostics in high-energy linacs, with direct application to the operation and tuning of free-electron laser facilities.