X-ray sources using a picosecond laser driven plasma accelerator
Abstract
Laser-plasma-based accelerators are now able to provide the scientific community with novel high-energy light sources that are essential to study high-energy density matter, inertial confinement fusion, astrophysical systems, and fundamental plasma physics. Due to the transient and high-density properties of these systems, it is essential to develop light sources that are in the hard x-ray energy range (0.01–1 MeV) and directional and have high yield, low divergence, and short duration (ps and sub-ps). In this work, we show that by using a Laser plasma accelerator, it is possible to generate a broadband (0.01–1 MeV) hard x-ray source that satisfies the previous requirements. A series of experiments were conducted on the Titan laser at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where a 10 nC electron beam in the 10–380 MeV energy range was generated through a laser plasma accelerator. The electrons generate x-rays via their betatron motion (few-30 keV) and hard x-rays through inverse Compton scattering (10–250 keV) and/or Bremsstrahlung (up to 1 MeV). Due to its unique characteristics, this source can be an important tool for many applications in large-scale international laser facilities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2019
- Source ID
- 10.1063/1.5091798
Entities
People
- A. L. Milder
- A. Pak
- Alison Saunders
- B. B. Pollock
- Bjorn Manuel Hegelich
- C Goyon
- C. Joshi
- D. Papp
- F. Albert
- F. V. Hartemann
- Gerald Jackson Williams
- Hui Chen
- J. E. Ralph
- J. L. Shaw
- J. Moody
- Jaebum Park
- K. A. Marsh
- Nuno Lemos
- P. Michel
- Paul King
- R. Polanek
- R. Tommasini
- S. Q. Wu
- Siegfried Glenzer
- W. Schumaker
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- National Science Foundation
- Office of Science
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of Rochester
- University of Texas at Austin