Ultrahigh brilliance quasi-monochromatic MeV ?-rays based on self-synchronized all-optical Compton scattering.

ABSTRACT: Inverse Compton scattering between ultra-relativistic electrons and an intense laser field has been proposed as a major route to generate compact high-brightness and high-energy ?-rays. Attributed to the inherent synchronization mechanism, an all-optical Compton scattering ?-ray source, using one laser to both accelerate electrons and scatter via the reflection of a plasma mirror, has been demonstrated in proof-of-principle experiments to produce a x-ray source near 100?keV. Here, by designing a cascaded laser wakefield accelerator to generate high-quality monoenergetic e-beams, which are bound to head-on collide with the intense driving laser pulse via the reflection of a 20-um-thick Ti foil, we produce tunable quasi-monochromatic MeV ?-rays (33% full-width at half-maximum) with a peak brilliance of ~3?×?10(22) photons s(-1)?mm(-2) mrad(-2) 0.1% BW at 1?MeV. To the best of our knowledge, it is one order of magnitude higher than ever reported value of its kinds in MeV regime. This compact ultrahigh brilliance ?-ray source may provide applications in nuclear resonance fluorescence, x-ray radiology and ultrafast pump-probe nondestructive inspection.

SUBMITTER: Yu C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4942800 | biostudies-other | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other