Tunable Energy Spectrum Betatron X-ray Sources in Plasma Wakefield

Abstract

Abstract The X-ray source with tunable energy spectrum has a wide range of application requirements in different scenarios because of its different penetration. However, existing X-ray sources face difficulties in energy regulation. In this paper, we prsent a scheme for tuning the energy spectrum of Betatron X-ray generated from a relativistic electron bunch oscillating in plasma wakefield. The center energy of the X-ray source can be tuned from several keV to several hundred keV by changing the plasma density, extending the control range by an order of magnitude. At different central energies, the brightness of Betatron radiation is in the range of 3.7 × 1022 to 5.5 × 1022 photons/(0.1%BW·s·mm2·mrad2), and the photon divergence angle is about 2 mrad. This high-brightness, energy-controlled betatron source could open a way to a wide range of applications requiring photons of specific energy, such as phase-contrast imaging in medicine, non-destructive testing and material analysis in industry, and imaging in nuclear physics.