Title: Single-Shot Multi-keV X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy Using an Ultrashort Laser-Wakefield Accelerator Source

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
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  1. Imperial College, London (United Kingdom)
  2. Lancaster Univ., (United Kingdom)
  3. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  4. Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Didcot (United Kingdom)
  5. Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany); Institute of Physics of the ASCR, Prague (Czech Republic)
  6. Lund Univ. (Sweden)
  7. Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
  8. Instituto Superior Tecnico, Lisbon (Portugal)
  9. Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden (Germany)
  10. Lancaster Univ., (United Kingdom); Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

We report that single-shot absorption measurements have been performed using the multi-keV x rays generated by a laser-wakefield accelerator. A 200 TW laser was used to drive a laser-wakefield accelerator in a mode which produced broadband electron beams with a maximum energy above 1 GeVand a broad divergence of ≈15 mrad FWHM. Betatron oscillations of these electrons generated 1.2 ± 0.2 x 106 photons/eV in the 5 keV region, with a signal-to-noise ratio of approximately 300:1. This was sufficient to allow high-resolution x-ray absorption near-edge structure measurements at the K edge of a titanium sample in a single shot. We demonstrate that this source is capable of single-shot, simultaneous measurements of both the electron and ion distributions in matter heated to eV temperatures by comparison with density functional theory simulations. The unique combination of a high-flux, large bandwidth, few femtosecond duration x-ray pulse synchronized to a high-power laser will enable key advances in the study of ultrafast energetic processes such as electron-ion equilibration.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
European Research Council9ERC); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344; SC0019186
OSTI ID:
1843564
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL--820665; 1031707
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 25 Vol. 123; ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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