Collimated and Ultrafast X-Ray Beams from Laser-Plasma Interactions

Antoine Rousse (1) , Kim Ta Phuoc (1) , Felicie Albert (1)

1 LOA - Laboratoire d'optique appliquée

We show that different schemes can be now followed to produce collimated X-ray radiation using laser systems. By focusing intense femtosecond laser light onto a gas jet, electrons of the plasma can be manipulated to generate ultrafast (femtosecond) X-ray radiation in the forward direction along the laser axis. In this chapter we discuss nonlinear Thomson scattering, betatron emission and Compton scattering. In years to come, the rapid development of laser technology will provide more intense laser systems. We can expect to see the creation of bright X-ray beams with a high degree of collimation (< 1 mrad divergence), as well as even shorter pulse durations, down to attosecond time scales. Such sources will provide multidisciplinary scientific communities with unique tools to probe and excite matter.

Domains: Physics [physics]; Physics [physics]; Chemical Physics [physics.chem-ph]

Antoine Rousse, Kim Ta Phuoc, Felicie Albert. Collimated and Ultrafast X-Ray Beams from Laser-Plasma Interactions. Springer Series in Chemical Physics, 2006, 85, pp.215-230. ⟨10.1007/978-3-540-38156-3_11⟩. ⟨hal-00573426⟩