Laser-like X-ray Sources Based on Optical Reflection from Relativistic Electron Mirror

Abstract

A novel scheme is proposed to generate uniform relativistic electron layers for coherent Thomson backscattering. A few-cycle laser pulse is used to produce the electron layer from an ultra-thin solid foil. The key element of the new scheme is an additional foil that reflects the drive laser pulse, but lets the electrons pass almost unperturbed. It is shown by analytic theory and by 2D-PIC simulation that the electrons, after interacting with both drive and reflected laser pulse, form a very uniform flyer freely cruising with high relativistic gamma-factor exactly in drive laser direction (no transverse momentum). It backscatters probe light with a full Doppler shift factor of 4*gamma^2. The reflectivity and its decay due to layer expansion is discussed.

5 pages, 3 figures, submitted, invited talk on the workshop of Frontiers in Intense Laser-Matter Interaction Theory, MPQ, March 1-3, 2010.

References in corpus (3)

• Coherent Thomson backscattering from laser-driven relativistic ultra-thin electron layers
• The reflectivity of relativistic ultra-thin electron layers
• Acceleration of ultra-thin electron layer. Analytical treatment compared with 1D-PIC simulation

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