K-alpha x-ray sources from laser produced plasmas provide completely new possibilities for x-ray phase-contrast imaging applications. By tightly focusing intense femtosecond laser pulses onto a solid target, K-alpha x-ray pulses are generated through the interaction of energetic electrons created in the plasma with the bulk target. In this paper, we present a continuous and efficient Mo K-alpha x-ray source produced by a femtosecond laser system operating at 100 Hz
repetition rate with maximum pulse energy of 110 mJ before compression. The source has x-ray conversion efficiency greater than 10-5 into K-alpha line emission. In preparation for phase contrast imaging applications, the size of the resultant K-alpha x-ray emission spot has been also characterized. The source exhibits sufficient spatial coherence to observe phase contrast. We observe a relatively small broadening of the K-alpha source size compared to the size of the laser beam itself. Detailed characterization of the source including the x-ray spectrum and the x-ray average yield along
with phase contrast images of test objects will be presented.
We report observation of laser beam distortion due to the thermal load associated with high energy (110 mJ) and high average power (11 Watts) femtosecond laser system with vacuum compressor. To improve laser-based light source brightness, it is crucial to develop laser systems with higher energy and higher average power. Managing the high thermal loading on vacuum optical components and demonstration of brightness stability are key issues in the implementation of this approach. We characterize such thermally induced distortions using beam wavefront measurements and propose compensation methods to attain long term stability.
We are developing and exploring the imaging performance of, an in vivo, in-line holography, x-ray phase-contrast, micro-CT system with an ultrafast laser-based x-ray (ULX) source. By testing and refining our system, and by performing computer simulations, we plan to improve system performance in terms of contrast resolution and
multi-energy imaging to a level beyond what can be obtained using a conventional microfocal x-ray tube. Initial CT projection sets at single energy (Mo Kα and Kβ lines) were acquired in the Fresnel regime and reconstructed for phantoms and a euthanized mouse. We also performed computer simulations of phase-contrast micro-CT scans for low-contrast, soft-tissue, tumor imaging. We determined that, in order to perform a phase-contrast, complete micro-CT scan using ULX, the following conditions must be met: (i) the x-ray source needs to be stable during the scan; (ii) the laser focal spot size needs to be less than 10 μm for source-to-object distance greater than 30 cm; (iii) the laser light intensity on the target needs to be in the range of 5 × 1017 to 5 × 1019 W/cm2; (iv) the ablation protection system needs to allow uninterrupted scans; (v) the laser light focusing on the target needs to remain accurate during the entire scan; (vi) a fresh surface of the target must be exposed to consecutive laser shots during the entire scan; (vii) the effective detector element size must be less than 12 μm. Based on the results obtained in this research project, we anticipate that the new 10 Hz, 200 TW laser with 50W average power that is being commissioned at ALLS will allow us practical implementation of in vivo x-ray phase-contrast micro-CT.
Ultrabright and ultrashort x-ray pulses may be used for time resolved studies of phase transitions in materials and potentially for x-ray microscopy applications. Through the interaction of high intensity ultrashort laser pulses (~100fs, 1015 -1017 W/cm2) with solid targets, high temperature and high density plasma is formed on the material surface. Electrons are accelerated in the plasma and multi keV x-rays are generated when they interact with the target material. Such hot electrons are produced from resonance absorption and other nonlinear interactions both at the solid density surface and in the underdense plasma. Initial experimental measurements of keV x-ray emission from microplasmas generated by 130fs, 800nm, 0.5mJ Ti:Sapphire laser pulses focused to intensities of ~1016 -1017 W/cm2 onto a solid target have been carried out. The keV x-ray emission has been characterized both in air and in vacuum. In particular, the scaling of x-ray conversion efficiency and the dependence on pulse energy, angle of incidence and pressure have been studied. The x-ray conversion efficiency improves through the use of a prepulse, indicating that the interactions in the underdense plasma also contribute to hot electron and keV x-ray generation.
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