Submillimeter-resolution radiography of shielded structures with laser-accelerated electron beams

Authors

Viswanathan Ramanathan, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Sudeep Banerjee, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Nathan D. Powers, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Nathaniel Cunningham, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Nathan A. Chandler-Smith, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Kun Zhao, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Kevin J. Brown, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Donald Umstadter, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Shaun Clarke, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Sara Pozzi, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
James Beene, Oak Ridge National LaboratoryFollow
Randy Vane, Oak Ridge National LaboratoryFollow
David Schultz, Oak Ridge National LaboratoryFollow

Date of this Version

2010

Citation

Physical Review Special Topics - Accelerators And Beams 13, 104701 (2010); DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.13.104701

Comments

Copyright 2010 The American Physical Society. Used by permission.

Abstract

We investigate the use of energetic electron beams for high-resolution radiography of flaws embedded in thick solid objects. A bright, monoenergetic electron beam (with energy >100 MeV) was generated by the process of laser-wakefield acceleration through the interaction of 50-TW, 30-fs laser pulses with a supersonic helium jet. The high energy, low divergence, and small source size of these beams make them ideal for high-resolution radiographic studies of cracks or voids embedded in dense materials that are placed at a large distance from the source. We report radiographic imaging of steel with submillimeter resolution.