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Water-Window X-Ray Pulses from a Laser-Plasma Driven Undulator.
A R Maier1,2,3, N Kajumba4,5, A Guggenmos4,5
1Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Department Physik, Am Coulombwall 1, 85748, Garching, Germany. andreas.maier@cfel.de.
Scientific Reports
|March 30, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed a novel laser-plasma method for compact X-ray sources, achieving tunable, octave-spanning radiation from 13 nm to 4 nm. This breakthrough advances compact laboratory-scale X-ray generation for scientific research.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Laser-driven X-ray sources
- Plasma physics
Background:
- Femtosecond (fs) X-ray pulses are crucial for studying matter's structure and dynamics.
- Laser-based mechanisms offer potential for compact laboratory-scale X-ray sources, complementing large accelerator facilities.
- Laser-plasma driven undulator radiation promises high peak brightness and few-fs pulses in the nanometer (nm) regime.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate tunable, octave-spanning plasma-driven undulator radiation.
- To advance the development of compact, laboratory-scale X-ray sources.
- To explore spontaneous undulator radiation as a step towards plasma-driven free-electron lasers.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a laser-plasma interaction setup to generate undulator radiation.
- Achieved tuneability across a broad range of wavelengths.
- Focused on spontaneous undulator radiation for characterization.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated plasma-driven undulator radiation with octave-spanning tuneability.
- Achieved discrete wavelengths ranging from 13 nm to 4 nm.
- Generated photon pulses mirroring the plasma electron bunch length and charge profile.
Conclusions:
- Successfully demonstrated tunable plasma-driven undulator radiation in the few-nanometer regime.
- The developed method is a significant step towards compact, laser-based X-ray free-electron lasers.
- The generated photon pulse characteristics may enable novel methods for longitudinal electron phase space characterization.
