Laser-Driven, tunable, high-yield x-ray source from a hybrid laser plasma accelerator used for radiography

ORAL

Abstract

A broadband (10 keV to MeV), high yield (\textgreater 10\textasciicircum 10 photons/keV/Sr), small source size (\textless 20-100 um) x-ray source has been developed using a hybrid laser plasma accelerator on the Titan laser (700 fs, 140 J). The hybrid laser plasma accelerator uses a combination of self-modulated laser wakefield acceleration and direct laser acceleration to generate a high energy (\textgreater 200 MeV) low divergence (\textless 100 mrad), high-charge (70nC) beam of electrons. The electrons are used to generate x-rays using a combination of three mechanisms: betatron radiation, inverse Compton scattering, and bremsstrahlung radiation. The combination of these x-ray generation mechanisms and control over the electron beam provides a method for tuning the emitted x-ray energy spectra, source size, and yield. In this work we optimize and characterize the x-ray source to radiograph several high and low-Z objects with several spatial resolutions.

*This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore national Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC

–

Authors

  • Paul King

    • University of Texas at Austin/ Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Nuno Lemos

    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Jessica Shaw

    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics

  • Kenneth Marsh

    • University of California Los Angeles

  • Art Pak

    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Brian Kraus

    • Princeton University

  • Adeola Aghedo

    • Florida A&M University

  • Isabella Pagano

    • University of Texas at Austin

  • Matthew Thibodeau

    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Jesus Hinojosa

    • University of Michigan

  • Alec Thomas

    • University of Michigan

  • Manuel Hegelich

    • University of Texas at Austin

  • Pierre Michel

    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Chan Joshi

    • University of California Los Angeles

  • Felicie Albert

    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory