Speaker
Description
At Eindhoven University of Technology, a tabletop x-ray source based on inverse Compton scattering (ICS) has recently been commissioned. In the ICS process monochromatic x-rays are produced by colliding relativistic electron bunches with intense laser pulses. This compact and tunable source holds the promise of a performance in between small-scale x-ray tubes and large-scale synchrotron light sources, making advanced x-ray diagnostics accessible to a wider range of applications. The beamline utilizes a 100 kV DC photo-electron gun in combination with an X-band linear accelerator. The X-band LINAC is based on a design for the CERN Compact Linear Collider (CLIC), but adapted to allow for the injection of subrelativistic electrons. After acceleration the electron bunches collide with femtosecond laser pulses, producing x-ray photons with energies which are continuously tunable between a few and 40 keV. In this presentation we present the design and the successful commissioning of Smart*Light. We discuss the measured characteristics of the x-ray beam, which are in full agreement with theoretical expectations, and we present results from the first demonstration experiments.
