Generation of short hard X-ray pulses of tailored duration using a M\"ossbauer source

TL;DR

This paper proposes a theoretical scheme to generate controllable, short hard X-ray pulses using a M"ossbauer source and a magnetically perturbed crystal, enabling advancements in tabletop quantum optics at high energies.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, cost-effective method for producing tunable short X-ray pulses from a M"ossbauer source for quantum optics applications.

Findings

The scheme can generate X-ray pulses of 1-100 ns duration.

It enables time-resolved nuclear scattering and photon storage.

The method supports flexible generation of X-ray single-photon entanglement.

Abstract

We theoretically investigate a scheme for generations of single hard X-ray pulses of controllable duration in the range of 1 ns - 100 ns from a radioactive M\"ossbauer source. The scheme uses a magnetically perturbed $^{57}$FeBO$_3$ crystal illuminated with recoilless 14.4 keV photons from a radioisotope $^{57}$Co nuclide. Such compact X-ray source is useful for the extension of quantum optics to 10 keV energy scale which has been spotlighted in recent years. So far, experimental achievements are mostly performed in synchrotron radiation facilities. However, tabletop and portable hard X-ray sources are still limited for time-resolved measurements and for implementing coherent controls over nuclear quantum optics systems. The availability of compact hard X-ray sources may become the engine to apply schemes of quantum information down to the subatomic scale. We demonstrate that the present method is versatile and provides an economic solution utilizing a M\"ossbauer source to perform time-resolved nuclear scattering, to produce suitable pulses for photon storage and to flexibly generate X-ray single-photon entanglement.