Producing Electrons and Laser-Compton X-rays with a Distributed Charge Compton Source

The movie shows a train of UV pulses each spaced by 87.5 ps (1/11.424 GHz) illuminating the cathode of a high gradient x-band photo-gun to produce a train of electron bunches also spaced by 87.5 ps. The electrons exiting the photo-gun have nominally 5 MeV of energy. These electrons are then accelerated in 3, high-gradient, traveling-wave, x-band accelerator sections powered independently by their own x-band modulator and klystron. After acceleration the electrons are focused by a set of 3 quadrupole magnets and are collided with a separately-generated train of energetic, interaction laser pulses that are focused to the same point in space and time as the electron bunches. The resulting Compton x-rays are collinear with the electrons from which they were created. In imaging applications, the electrons are removed from the x-ray beam path via a large dipole magnet and sent to a beam dump located a few meters below the x-ray beam path. The x-rays exit the vacuum envelope of the system via thin CVD diamond or sapphire window. In VHEE applications, the interaction laser and the electron beam dump dipole magnet are turned off and the electrons exit the vacuum envelope of the system through a thin CVD diamond window.

To use or reference this video or underlying technologies presented, please cite:

Barty, CPJ., et al. "Design, Construction, and Test of Compact, Distributed-Charge, X-Band Accelerator Systems that Enable Image-Guided, VHEE FLASH Radiotherapy." Frontiers in Physics (2024) 12: 1472759. doi: 10.3389/fphy.2024.1472759