Laser-driven Thomson scattering for the generation of ultra-bright multi-MeV gamma-ray beams

Gianluca Sarri; Darragh J. Corvan; Jason M. Cole; William Schumaker; Antonino Di Piazza; Hamad Ahmed; Mark Yeung; Zu Zhao; Christopher Harvey; Christoph H. Keitel; Karl Krushelnick; Stuart P. D. Mangles; Zulfikar Najmudin; Alexander G. R. Thomas; Matthew Zepf

doi:10.1117/12.2182569

14 May 2015 Laser-driven Thomson scattering for the generation of ultra-bright multi-MeV gamma-ray beams

Gianluca Sarri, Darragh J. Corvan, Jason M. Cole, William Schumaker, Antonino Di Piazza, Hamad Ahmed, Mark Yeung, Zu Zhao, Christopher Harvey, Christoph H. Keitel, Karl Krushelnick, Stuart P. D. Mangles, Zulfikar Najmudin, Alexander G. R. Thomas, Matthew Zepf

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9514, Laser Acceleration of Electrons, Protons, and Ions III; and Medical Applications of Laser-Generated Beams of Particles III; 95140W (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2182569
Event: SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics, 2015, Prague, Czech Republic

Abstract

Compact γ-ray sources are of key importance not only for fundamental research but also for paramount practical applications such as cancer radiotherapy, active interrogation of materials, and high-energy radiography. Particular characteristics are required for meaningful implementation: multi-MeV energies per photon, a high degree of collimation, and a high peak brilliance. Laser-driven sources are theoretically expected to deliver such capabilities but experiments to date have reported either sub-MeV photon energies, or relatively low brilliance. By entering the non-linear regime of Thomson scattering, we report here on the first experimental realisation of a compact laser-driven γ-ray source that simultaneously ensures ultra-high brilliance (≈10¹⁹ photons s^-1 mm^-2 mrad^-2 0.1% BW), low divergence (≈ mrad), and high photon energy (up to 18 MeV). The reported brilliance exceeds by two orders of magnitudes those of alternative mechanisms and it is the highest ever achieved in the multi-MeV regime in a laboratory experiment.

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Gianluca Sarri, Darragh J. Corvan, Jason M. Cole, William Schumaker, Antonino Di Piazza, Hamad Ahmed, Mark Yeung, Zu Zhao, Christopher Harvey, Christoph H. Keitel, Karl Krushelnick, Stuart P. D. Mangles, Zulfikar Najmudin, Alexander G. R. Thomas, and Matthew Zepf "Laser-driven Thomson scattering for the generation of ultra-bright multi-MeV gamma-ray beams", Proc. SPIE 9514, Laser Acceleration of Electrons, Protons, and Ions III; and Medical Applications of Laser-Generated Beams of Particles III, 95140W (14 May 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2182569

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