High-Brilliance Compact X-ray Sources: Micron Source Size and Pico-Second Pulses

David E. Moncton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The process of inverse Compton scattering, in which an electron of 20-50 MeV backscatters an optical photon into the hard x-ray spectral range, offers the opportunity to produce high-brilliance hard x-ray beams with a laboratory-scale facility. Using a 2-meter superconducting linac and a 1-kW laser system, the time-average brilliance of such beams will be similar to 2nd generation synchrotron facilities. Furthermore, two important characteristics will make these sources unique in comparison to both the best synchrotron sources available today, and the prospective storage-ring based compact sources currently under development. First, beam size can be below 10 microns, and second, the pulse length could be as short as 100 femto-seconds. This talk will discuss the conceptual design of such a source and the scientific program it could support, including imaging and crystallography in both static and time-dependent modes.

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