Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Compact spectroscopy of keV to MeV X-rays from a laser wakefield accelerator

Journal Article · · Scientific Reports
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [5];  [2];  [5];  [2];  [5];  [5];  [2];  [4]
  1. Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Dept. of Physics; OSTI
  2. The Helmholtz‑Zentrum Dresden‑Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany). Inst. for Radiation Physics
  3. Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Dept. of Physics; The Helmholtz‑Zentrum Dresden‑Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany). Inst. for Radiation Physics
  4. Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Dept. of Physics
  5. The Helmholtz‑Zentrum Dresden‑Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany). Inst. for Radiation Physics; Technische Universität Dresden (Germany)
We reconstruct spectra of secondary X-rays from a tunable 250–350 MeV laser wakefield electron accelerator from single-shot X-ray depth-energy measurements in a compact (7.5 × 7.5 × 15 cm), modular X-ray calorimeter made of alternating layers of absorbing materials and imaging plates. X-rays range from few-keV betatron to few-MeV inverse Compton to > 100 MeV bremsstrahlung emission, and are characterized both individually and in mixtures. Geant4 simulations of energy deposition of single-energy X-rays in the stack generate an energy-vs-depth response matrix for a given stack configuration. An iterative reconstruction algorithm based on analytic models of betatron, inverse Compton and bremsstrahlung photon energy distributions then unfolds X-ray spectra, typically within a minute. We discuss uncertainties, limitations and extensions of both measurement and reconstruction methods.
Research Organization:
Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0011617
OSTI ID:
1816935
Journal Information:
Scientific Reports, Journal Name: Scientific Reports Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 11; ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (70)

Calibration of imaging plates to electrons between 40 and 180 MeV journal May 2016
On the Stopping of Fast Particles and on the Creation of Positive Electrons journal August 1934
Nonlinear Thomson scattering of intense laser pulses from beams and plasmas journal October 1993
The Compton effect on relativistic electrons and the possibility of obtaining high energy beams journal April 1963
Acquisition, optimization and interpretation of X-ray computed tomographic imagery: applications to the geosciences journal May 2001
Geant4—a simulation toolkit
  • Agostinelli, S.; Allison, J.; Amako, K.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 506, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-9002(03)01368-8
journal July 2003
Ultra-intense gamma-rays created using the Texas Petawatt Laser journal September 2014
X-ray based methods for non-destructive testing and material characterization
  • Hanke, Randolf; Fuchs, Theobald; Uhlmann, Norman
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 591, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2008.03.016
journal June 2008
How to test and verify radiation diagnostics simulations within particle-in-cell frameworks
  • Pausch, R.; Debus, A.; Widera, R.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 740 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2013.10.073
journal March 2014
A TLD-based ten channel system for the spectrometry of bremsstrahlung generated by laser-matter interaction
  • Horst, Felix; Fehrenbacher, Georg; Radon, Torsten
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 782 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2015.02.010
journal May 2015
Single-shot betatron source size measurement from a laser-wakefield accelerator
  • Köhler, A.; Couperus, J. P.; Zarini, O.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 829 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2016.02.031
journal September 2016
Dual-energy X-ray radiography for automatic high-Z material detection
  • Chen, Gongyin; Bennett, Gordon; Perticone, David
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Vol. 261, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2007.04.036
journal August 2007
Spectral tomographic analysis of Bremsstrahlung X-rays generated in a laser-produced plasma journal October 2016
All-optical Compton gamma-ray source journal April 2012
High-order multiphoton Thomson scattering journal June 2017
Gamma-rays from harmonically resonant betatron oscillations in a plasma wake journal September 2011
Demonstration of a beam loaded nanocoulomb-class laser wakefield accelerator journal September 2017
Making spectral shape measurements in inverse Compton scattering a tool for advanced diagnostic applications journal January 2018
Demonstration of self-truncated ionization injection for GeV electron beams journal October 2015
Scintillating‐fiber 14 MeV neutron detector on TFTR during DT operation journal January 1995
Design of an optimal Ross filter system for x‐ray spectra measurements in the range of 8.98–88 keV journal January 1995
X-ray generation in an ion channel journal December 2003
Calibration of imaging plate for high energy electron spectrometer journal January 2005
Novel method for characterizing relativistic electron beams in a harsh laser-plasma environment journal August 2007
Betatron radiation from density tailored plasmas journal June 2008
A Bremsstrahlung spectrometer using k-edge and differential filters with image plate dosimeters journal October 2008
Bremsstrahlung and Kα fluorescence measurements for inferring conversion efficiencies into fast ignition relevant hot electrons journal August 2009
Broadband, high dynamics and high resolution charge coupled device-based spectrometer in dynamic mode for multi-keV repetitive x-ray sources journal August 2009
Tunable, short pulse hard x‐rays from a compact laser synchrotron source journal December 1992
X-ray phase contrast imaging of biological specimens with femtosecond pulses of betatron radiation from a compact laser plasma wakefield accelerator journal August 2011
A tuneable ultra-compact high-power, ultra-short pulsed, bright gamma-ray source based on bremsstrahlung radiation from laser-plasma accelerated electrons journal March 2012
Measuring fast electron spectra and laser absorption in relativistic laser-solid interactions using differential bremsstrahlung photon detectors journal August 2013
Combined x-ray scattering, radiography, and velocity interferometry/streaked optical pyrometry measurements of warm dense carbon using a novel technique of shock-and-release journal May 2014
A broadband gamma-ray spectrometry using novel unfolding algorithms for characterization of laser wakefield-generated betatron radiation journal December 2015
Compact tunable Compton x-ray source from laser wakefield accelerator and plasma mirror
  • Tsai, Hai-En; Wang, Xiaoming; Shaw, Joseph
  • ADVANCED ACCELERATOR CONCEPTS 2016: 16th Advanced Accelerator Concepts Workshop, AIP Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4965663
conference January 2016
Novel scintillator-based x-ray spectrometer for use on high repetition laser plasma interaction experiments journal July 2018
Compact high energy x-ray spectrometer based on forward Compton scattering for high intensity laser plasma experiments journal August 2018
Calibration and cross-laboratory implementation of scintillating screens for electron bunch charge determination journal September 2018
Image-plate sensitivity to x rays at 2 to 60 keV journal January 2019
A spectrometer for ultrashort gamma-ray pulses with photon energies greater than 10 MeV journal November 2018
X-ray analysis methods for sources from self-modulated laser wakefield acceleration driven by picosecond lasers journal March 2019
Gradient magnet design for simultaneous detection of electrons and positrons in the intermediate MeV range journal August 2019
Particle acceleration in relativistic laser channels journal July 1999
Medical Applications of Synchrotron Radiation journal April 2011
XCIII. On the theory of X-ray absorption and of the continuous X-ray spectrum journal November 1923
Laser wakefield accelerator based light sources: potential applications and requirements journal July 2014
An all-optical Compton source for single-exposure x-ray imaging journal January 2016
First results with the novel petawatt laser acceleration facility in Dresden journal July 2017
A TLD-based Few-channel Spectrometer for Mixed Photon, Electron, and Ion Fields with High Fluence Rates journal August 2002
Nonlinear Thomson scattering of intense laser pulses from beams and plasmas journal October 1993
Synchrotron radiation from electron beams in plasma-focusing channels journal May 2002
Deducing the Electron-Beam Diameter in a Laser-Plasma Accelerator Using X-Ray Betatron Radiation journal February 2012
Low-Emittance Electron Bunches from a Laser-Plasma Accelerator Measured using Single-Shot X-Ray Spectroscopy journal August 2012
High Resolution Energy-Angle Correlation Measurement of Hard X Rays from Laser-Thomson Backscattering journal September 2013
Angular Dependence of Betatron X-Ray Spectra from a Laser-Wakefield Accelerator journal December 2013
Observation of Betatron X-Ray Radiation in a Self-Modulated Laser Wakefield Accelerator Driven with Picosecond Laser Pulses journal March 2017
Petawatt Laser Guiding and Electron Beam Acceleration to 8 GeV in a Laser-Heated Capillary Discharge Waveguide journal February 2019
Laser Electron Accelerator journal July 1979
High-gradient electron accelerator powered by a relativisitic klystron journal November 1989
X-ray Generation in Strongly Nonlinear Plasma Waves journal September 2004
Production of a keV X-Ray Beam from Synchrotron Radiation in Relativistic Laser-Plasma Interaction journal September 2004
High-Resolution γ -Ray Radiography Produced by a Laser-Plasma Driven Electron Source journal January 2005
Hard X Rays from Laser-Wakefield Accelerators in Density Tailored Plasmas journal March 2020
Bremsstrahlung Cross-Section Formulas and Related Data journal October 1959
Physics of laser-driven plasma-based electron accelerators journal August 2009
Femtosecond x rays from laser-plasma accelerators journal January 2013
Diagnostics for plasma-based electron accelerators journal August 2018
A New Method of Spectroscopy for Faint X-Radiations journal January 1928
Tables of X-Ray Mass Attenuation Coefficients and Mass Energy-Absorption Coefficients, NIST Standard Reference Database 126 dataset January 1995
Novel scintillator-based x-ray spectrometer for use on high repetition laser plasma interaction experiments dataset January 2017

Similar Records

Calorimeter with Bayesian unfolding of spectra of high-flux broadband x rays
Journal Article · Sun Apr 03 20:00:00 EDT 2022 · Review of Scientific Instruments · OSTI ID:1979013

A broadband gamma-ray spectrometry using novel unfolding algorithms for characterization of laser wakefield-generated betatron radiation
Journal Article · Mon Dec 14 23:00:00 EST 2015 · Review of Scientific Instruments · OSTI ID:22482636