Crystal-based intensive gamma-ray light sources

TL;DR

This paper explores the design and realization of crystal-based gamma-ray light sources, demonstrating their potential to surpass conventional sources in brilliance and energy range, with applications across various fields.

Contribution

It introduces a novel gamma-ray light source using oriented crystals and estimates its performance, highlighting advantages over existing technologies and potential for high brilliance.

Findings

Brilliance of crystalline undulator sources exceeds conventional methods.

Gamma-ray sources can reach energies of 10^0-10^1 MeV.

Superradiance can enhance brilliance by up to 8 orders of magnitude.

Abstract

We discuss design and practical realization of novel gamma-ray Crystal-based Light Sources (CLS) that can be constructed through exposure of oriented crystals (linear, bent, periodically bent) to beams of ultrarelativistic charged particles. In an exemplary case study, we estimate brilliance of radiation emitted in a Crystalline Undulator (CU) LS by available positron beams. Intensity of CU radiation in the photon energy range $10^0-10^1$ MeV, which is inaccessible to conventional synchrotrons, undulators and XFELs, greatly exceeds that of laser-Compton scattering LSs and can be higher than predicted in the Gamma Factory proposal to CERN. Brilliance of CU-LSs can be boosted by up to 8 orders of magnitude through the process of superradiance by a pre-bunched beam. Construction of novel CLSs is a challenging task which constitutes a highly interdisciplinary field entangling a broad range of correlated activities. CLSs provide a low-cost alternative to conventional LSs and have enormous number of applications.