Enhancement of laser-driven betatron radiation
Betatron radiation from the transverse oscillation of laser-wakefield accelerated electrons is very promising for a wide range of applications. Currently, the main limitation of this radiation source is the x-ray photon yield. We present our recent progress in achieving higher photon flux using a clustering gas target instead of the normal gas jet, leading to a 10-fold enhancement. Moreover, we observed monoenergetic electron beams and bright x-rays simultaneously, an occurrence which is considered contradictory, and succeeded in using the betatron radiation as a probe in the evolution of bubble dynamics. These breakthroughs are of great significance for pushing the use of betatron radiation source toward new applications. (C) 2015 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)