Research towards high-repetition rate laser-driven X-ray sources for imaging applications

TL;DR

This paper discusses advancements in laser-driven X-ray sources using wakefield acceleration, achieving rapid tomographic imaging within 3 minutes, which enhances potential applications in high-quality imaging.

Contribution

The study demonstrates significant reduction in tomographic imaging time through improvements in laser systems, detectors, and algorithms, advancing the practicality of laser-driven X-ray sources.

Findings

Reduced imaging time from hours to 3 minutes

Enhanced X-ray source flux and size for imaging

Potential for future high-speed imaging systems

Abstract

Laser wakefield acceleration of electrons represents a basis for several types of novel X-ray sources based on Thomson scattering or betatron radiation. The latter provides a high photon flux and a small source size, both being prerequisites for high-quality X-ray imaging. Furthermore, proof-of-principle experiments have demonstrated its application for tomographic imaging. So far this required several hours of acquisition time for a complete tomographic data set. Based on improvements to the laser system, detectors and reconstruction algorithms, we were able to reduce this time for a full tomographic scan to 3 minutes. In this paper, we discuss these results and give a prospect to future imaging systems.