A tuneable ultra-compact high-power, ultra-short pulsed, bright gamma-ray source based on bremsstrahlung radiation from laser-plasma accelerated electrons

Journal Article · Thu Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2012 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3693537· OSTI ID:22036826

Cipiccia, S; Wiggins, S M; Shanks, R P; Islam, M R; Vieux, G; Issac, R C; Brunetti, E; Ersfeld, B; Welsh, G H; Anania, M P; Jaroszynski, D A ^[1]; Maneuski, D; Shea, V O ^[2]; Lemos, N R. C.; Bendoyro, R A; Dias, J M ^[3]; Rajeev, P P; Foster, P ^[4]; Bourgeois, N; Ibbotson, T P. A. ^[5] ; others, and

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1. University of Strathclyde, Physics Department, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, John Anderson Building, 107 Rottenrow, Glasgow, G4 0NG (United Kingdom)
2. University of Glasgow, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, Glasgow, G12 8QQ (United Kingdom)
3. GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusao Nuclear, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Avenida Rovisco Pais 1049-001, Lisbon (Portugal)
4. Central Laser Facility, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, OX11 0QX (United Kingdom)
5. Oxford University, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU (United Kingdom)

The laser driven plasma wakefield accelerator is a very compact source of high energy electrons. When the quasi-monoenergetic beam from these accelerators passes through dense material, high energy bremsstrahlung photons are emitted in a collimated beam with high flux. We show how a source based on this emission process can produce more than 10{sup 9} photons per pulse with a mean energy of 10 MeV. We present experimental results that show the feasibility of this method of producing high energy photons and compare the experimental results with GEANT4 Montecarlo simulations, which also give the scaling required to evaluate its suitability as method to produce radioisotopes via photo-nuclear reactions or for imaging applications.

• OSTI ID: 22036826
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 111, Issue 6; Other Information: (c) 2012 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

07 ISOTOPES AND RADIATION SOURCES
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
BEAM PRODUCTION
BREMSSTRAHLUNG
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ELECTRON BEAMS
G CODES
GAMMA RADIATION
GAMMA SOURCES
ISOTOPE PRODUCTION
LASER-PRODUCED PLASMA
MEV RANGE
MONTE CARLO METHOD
PHOTON BEAMS
PHOTONUCLEAR REACTIONS
PLASMA GUNS
PLASMA SIMULATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
WAKEFIELD ACCELERATORS