Ultrafast hard X-ray sources based on Relativistic Electrons at ELI Beamlines

TL;DR

This paper presents the development of ultrafast, high-energy X-ray sources driven by laser-wakefield acceleration at ELI Beamlines, with applications in plasma physics and advanced diagnostics, achieving high photon flux and short pulse durations.

Contribution

It introduces state-of-the-art LWFA-based X-ray sources with energies up to MeV, characterized by low divergence and femtosecond pulse durations, and a novel optical probing method for plasma diagnostics.

Findings

X-ray pulses of 1-100 keV and up to 1 MeV achieved.

Photon flux up to 10^10 photons per pulse demonstrated.

Development of a sensitive optical probing technique for plasma diagnostics.

Abstract

We report the LWFA driven X-ray sources development at ELI beamlines. ELI Gammatron beamline provides X-ray pulses of energies from 1-100 keV in betatron scheme, and up to a MeV in Compton scheme. A state-of-the-art Ti:Sa diode-pumped HAPLS laser (10-30 J, 30 fs @10 Hz) is used as a driving laser for these X-ray sources. These sources are characterized with a low divergence (< 10 mrad), small source size (few {\mu}m), short pulse duration (a few fs) and photon flux up to1010 photons per pulse. In addition, a separate Betatron X-ray source is being developed in the ELI Plasma Physics Platform (P3)that will serve as an active diagnostics of various plasma physics experiments. P3 is dedicated to laboratory astrophysics, HED physics, multi-beam experiments, warm dense matter and fundamental research. Besides the presentation of the two X-ray sources, we will also introduce a novel optical probing method with increased interferometric sensitivity for characterization of low-density gas jets. The sensitivity is achieved together with using a novel optical configuration employing multiple passes of the probe beam through the object and relay-imaging of the object between the individual passes, and a short probing beam (405 nm).