A Study of Gamma-Ray Generation from Channeled Electrons and Positions

Abstract

The primary purpose of the experiments on the linac were to demonstrate that channeling radiation can be an inexpensive source of bright, hard x-rays with picosecond duration. Channeled particle trajectories are similar to the trajectories in a magnetic wiggler, but the equivalent magnetic field would have to be about ten megagauss. Indeed, a photon flux of 10 to the 19th power photons/sr-keV-sec was measured over a picosecond duration at a wavelength of 0.42 A. Our peak current levels were about 10 to the 13th power times greater than the currents used in previous channeling experiments and average currents were about 10 to the 8th power times greater. To perform these measurement a spectrometer was developed capable of operating at high photon fluxes with several percent energy resolution at x-ray wavelengths, and in a bremsstrahlung background. This was accomplished using a graphite crystal Bragg reflector, a photomultiplier detector, and specially designed. In addition to the high power channeling radiation research, we also studied channeling radiation in superlattices, both theoretically and experimentally. Superlattices offer a means for increasing the radiation, utilizing the periodicity of the layers. The Madey storage ring was to provide a bright positron current source for seeking x-ray laser action by means of channeling radiation. A current density of 10 to 100 million A/sq cm could be obtained, which would provide significant stimulated gain over a picosecond time interval. (The time duration is determined by the interval over which the crystal remains intact.)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 28, 1991
Accession Number
ADA241993

Entities

People

  • Pantell

Organizations

  • Stanford University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Crystals
  • Current Density
  • Detectors
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Electron Beams
  • Electrons
  • Gamma Rays
  • Hard X Rays
  • Linear Accelerators
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Measurement
  • Particle Trajectories
  • Picosecond Time
  • Radiation
  • Storage Rings
  • Time Intervals
  • X Rays

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.
  • Solar Physics
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Directed Energy - Pulsed-Laser Deposition
  • Microelectronics