METHOD AND SYSTEM OF LASER-DRIVEN INTENSE X-RAY PHOTONS IMAGING
A X-ray source, comprising a laser, of a pulse duration of at most 40 fs, instantaneous power of at least about 80TW, a pulse repetition rate of at least 1Hz; an optical compressor spectrally shaping the laser beam; focusing optics in the range between f#10 and f#15; and a gas target of electron density after ionization by the laser beam in a range between 1018cm3 and 1019cm-3; wherein the focusing optics focuses the laser beam in the gas target, and interaction of the focused laser beam with the gas target generates an X-ray beam, with a focused laser amplitude a0, given by a0 = 0.855 [IL (1018W/cm2) λL 2 (µm)]1/2, where IL is the on-target laser intensity and λL is the laser wavelength, of at least 2 and a P/Pc ratio value of at least 20, with P being the beam power and Pc a critical power given by Pc = 17 (nc/n) GW where n is the electron density and nc is a critical electron density at which the plasma acts as a mirror reflecting the laser beam.