Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Compact X-ray sources

X-rays from self-reflection

Laser-based particle acceleration offers a way to reduce the size of hard-X-ray sources. Scientists have now developed a simple scheme that produces a bright flash of hard X-rays by using a single laser pulse both to generate and to scatter an electron beam.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: The 'self-reflection' scheme for generating bright, hard X-rays with a short-pulse laser.

References

  1. Esarey, E., Schroeder, C. B. & Leemans, W. P. Rev. Mod. Phys. 81, 1229–1285 (2009).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Rousse, A. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 135005 (2004).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Kneip, S. et al. Nature Phys. 6, 980–983 (2010).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Schoenlein, R. W. et al. Science 274, 236–238 (1996).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Schwoerer, H., Liesfeld, B., Schlenvoigt, H. P., Amthor, K. U. & Sauerbrey, R. Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 014802 (2006).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Phuoc, K. T. et al. Nature Photon. 308–311 10.1038/nphoton.2012.82(2012).

  7. Kapteyn, H. C., Murnane, M. M., Szoke, A. & Falcone, R. W. Opt. Lett. 16, 490–492 (1991).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Dromey, B. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 085001 (2007).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Mangles, S. P. D. et al. Nature 431, 535–538 (2004).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Geddes, C. G. R. et al. Nature 431, 538–541 (2004).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Faure, J. et al. Nature 431, 541–544 (2004).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Faure, J. et al. Nature 444, 737–739 (2006).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stuart P. D. Mangles.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mangles, S. X-rays from self-reflection. Nature Photon 6, 280–281 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2012.86

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2012.86

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing