Intense gamma-ray source based on focused electron beams from a laser wakefield accelerator

Senthilkumaran, Vigneshvar; Bailie, David; Behm, Keegan; Warwick, Jonathan; Samarin, Guillermo M.; Maksimchuk, Anatoly; Nees, John A.; Thomas, Alexander George Roy; Sarri, Gianluca; Krushelnick, Karl; Hussein, Amina E.

doi:10.1063/5.0095576

Title: Intense gamma-ray source based on focused electron beams from a laser wakefield accelerator

Journal Article · Thu Jun 30 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0095576· OSTI ID:1979100

^[1]; Bailie, David ^[2];

^[3]; Warwick, Jonathan ^[2]; Samarin, Guillermo M. ^[2];

^[3]; Nees, John A. ^[3];

^[3];

^[2];

^[3]; Hussein, Amina E. ^[1]

Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB (Canada)
Queen's Univ., Belfast, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom)
Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

Laser wakefield accelerators generate ultrashort electron bunches with the capability to produce γ-rays. Here, we produce focused laser wakefield acceleration electron beams using three quadrupole magnets. Electron beams are then focused into a 3 mm lead converter to generate intense, focused bremsstrahlung γ beams. Experimental results demonstrate the generation and propagation of focused γ beams to a best focus spot size of 2.3 ± 0.1 × 2.7 ± 0.2 mm² using a copper stack calorimeter. Monte Carlo simulations conducted using GEANT4 are in good agreement with experimental results and enable detailed examination of γ-ray generation. Simulations indicate that the focused γ beams contained 2.6 × 10⁹ photons in the range of 100 keV to 33 MeV with an average energy of 6.4 MeV. A γ-ray intensity of 7 × 10¹⁰ W/cm² was estimated from simulations. In conclusion, the generation of focused bremsstrahlung γ-ray sources can have important applications in medical imaging applications and laboratory astrophysics experiments.

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Research Organization:: Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC); Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); National Science Foundation (NSF); Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0022109; RGPIN-2021-04373; 2108075; EP/N027175/1; EP/N022696/1; DESC0022109

OSTI ID:: 1979100

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1874517

Journal Information:: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 120, Issue 26; ISSN 0003-6951

Publisher:: American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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