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We propose an innovative method to shift the transversal position of the focal point of an optical cavity keeping it actively frequency stabilized. Our cavity is a 4 mirrors bow-tie cavity and the spatial shift of the resonant mode is obtained by properly rotating the two curved mirrors by piezo actuators. This method allows us to move the transversal position of the cavity focal point of 135 µm in a time of 50 ms, keeping the resonance condition of the cavity by means of the Pound–Drever–Hall technique. We propose to use this technique for the generation of 2-color X-rays via Inverse Compton Scattering (ICS). This technique exploits the large average power stored in the high finesse cavity by shifting the laser beam with respect to the electron beam trajectory, hence controlling the spatial superposition of the electron and photon beams in the interaction region. Arranging two cavities assembled one on top of the other, with different collision angle with the electron beam, allows the generation of X-ray bursts of different energies just by swiftly moving the two cavities, switching the two focal points onto the electron beam trajectory, thus activating in sequence two different ICS spectral lines .

We analyze different forms of light pulses with Orbital Angular Momentum based on two-index Hermite polynomials, their Poynting vector and angular momentum in paraxial propagation. We extend the analysis at first order in the paraxial approximation, calculating the transverse component of the Poynting vector and the longitudinal component of the angular momentum, which give the rotation of the energy flux around the vortices.

We present the dimensioning of a photon–photon collider based on conventional Compton gamma sources for the observation of secondary γ γ production. Two symmetric electron beams in collision with two high energy lasers produce two primary gamma rays pulses through Compton back scattering. Tuning the energy of the system to the energy of the photon–photon cross section maximum, a flux of secondary gamma photons is generated. The Monte Carlo code ‘Rate Of Scattering Events’ (ROSE) has been developed ad hoc for the counting of the QED events. The benchmark of the code for the Compton scattering process is presented. Realistic numbers of the secondary gamma yield, referring to existing or approved set-ups are presented.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance and refine the design of the collimation system for the gamma radiation source (GBS) currently being realised at ELI-NP facility. The gamma beam, produced by inverse Compton scattering, will provide a tunable average energy in the range between 0.2 and 20 MeV, an energy bandwidth 0.5% and a flux of about 108 photons/s. As a result of the inverse Compton interaction, the energy of the emitted radiation is related to the emission angle, it is maximum in the backscattering direction and decreases as the angle increase [1] , [2] . Therefore, the required energy bandwidth can be obtained only by developing a specific collimation system of the gamma beam, i.e. filtering out the radiation emitted at larger angles. The angular acceptance of the collimation for ELI-NP-GBS must be continuously adjustable in a range from about 700 to 60 μrad, to obtain the required parameters in the entire energy range. The solution identified is a stack of adjustable slits, arranged with a relative rotation around the beam axis to obtain an hole with an approximately circular shape. In this contribution, the final collimation design and its performance evaluated by carrying out a series of detailed Geant4 simulations both of the high-energy and the low-energy beamline are presented.

MariX is a research infrastructure conceived for multi-disciplinary studies, based on a cutting-edge system of combined electron accelerators at the forefront of the world-wide scenario of X-ray sources. The generation of X-rays over a large photon energy range will be enabled by two unique X-ray sources: a Free Electron Laser and an inverse Compton source, called BriXS (Bright compact X-ray Source). The X-ray beam provided by BriXS is expected to have an average energy tunable in the range 20–180 keV and intensities between 1011 and 1013 photon/s within a relative bandwidth Δ E / E = 1 –10 % . These characteristics, together with a very small source size ( ~ 20 μ m) and a good transverse coherence, will enable a wide range of applications in the bio-medical field. An additional unique feature of BriXS will be the possibility to make a quick switch of the X-ray energy between two values for dual-energy and K-edge subtraction imaging. In this paper, the expected characteristics of BriXS will be presented, with a particular focus on the features of interest to its possible medical applications.

A seeded FEL driven by a linac based on super conducting cavities, generating 108–1010 coherent photons per shot at 2–5 keV with 0.2–1 MHz of repetition rate, can address the need of a source devoted to fine analysis of matter using the linear spectroscopy technique. The seeding scheme described hereafter is a multi-stage cascade upshifting the radiation frequency by a factor 20–40. The x-ray range can be achieved with a seed constituted by a coherent flash in the extreme ultraviolet range provided by an FEL oscillator operating at 12–14 nm. The whole chain of x-ray generation is described by means of start-to-end three-dimensional simulations.

We present a design study of an innovative scheme to generate high rep rate (MHz-class) GeV electron beams by adopting a two-pass two-way acceleration in a superconducting (SC) linac operated in continuous wave (CW) mode. The electron beam is accelerated twice by being reinjected in opposite direction of propagation into the linac after the first passage. Acceleration in opposite directions is accomplished thanks to standing waves supported in rf cavities. The task of recirculating the electron beam when it leaves the linac after first pass is performed by a bubble-shaped arc compressor composed by a sequence of double bend achromat. In this paper we address the main issues inherent to the two-pass acceleration process and the preservation of the electron beam quality parameters (emittance, energy spread, peak current) required to operate x-ray free electron lasers (FEL) with low jitters in the amplitude, spectral and temporal domain, as achieved by operating in seeding and/or oscillator mode a CW FEL up to 1 MHz rep rate. Detailed start-to-end simulations are shown to assess the capability of this new scheme to double the electron beam energy as well as to compress the electron bunch length from picoseconds down to tens of femtoseconds. The advantage of such a scheme is to halve the requested linac length for the same final electron beam energy, which is typically in the few GeV range, as needed to drive an x-ray FEL. The AC power to supply the cryogenic plant is also significantly reduced with respect to a conventional single-pass SC linac for the same final energy. We are reporting also x-ray FEL simulations for typical values of wavelengths of interest (in the 200 eV--8 keV photon energy range) to better illustrate the potentiality of this new scheme.

The MariX project (Multi-disciplinary Advanced Infra-structure for Research with X-rays) is a free electron laser (FEL) light source proposed by the INFN-Milan. It will produce highly coherent X-rays, in the range 0.2-8 keV, with ultra-short pulses (10-50 fs) and a repetition rate up to 1MHz. At the same time, MariX will host a compact monochromatic X-ray source, called BriXS (Bright and compact X-ray Source), by using an inverse-Compton scattering scheme, with energies up to 180 keV and a repetition rate of 100 MHz (continuous-wave CW operation) that will generate fluxes up to 1013 photons per second. In this paper, the Radio-Frequency (RF) and beam dynamics designs of the electron injector for the MariX-FEL project are presented. The choice of the main devices, such as the electron gun and the accelerating linear accelerators, as well as the main parameters for CW operation are discussed in detail.

We present a study of an innovative scheme to generate high repetition rate (MHz-class) GeV electron beams by adopting a two-pass two-way acceleration in a super-conducting Linac operated in Continuous Wave (CW) mode. The beam is accelerated twice in the Linac by being re-injected, after the first pass, in opposite direction of propagation. The task of recirculating the electron beam is performed by an arc compressor composed by 14 Double Bend Achromat (DBA). In this paper, we study the main issues of the two-fold acceleration scheme, the electron beam quality parameters preservation (emittance, energy spread), together with the bunch compression performance of the arc compressor, aiming to operate an X-ray Free Electron Laser. The requested power to supply the cryogenic plant and the RF sources is also significantly reduced w.r.t a conventional one-pass SC Linac for the same final energy.

There is a strong demand for small foot-print high-flux hard X-rays machines in order to enable a large variety of science activities and serve a multidisciplinary user community. For this purpose, two compact Inverse Compton Sources (ICSs) are currently being developed in Italy. The most recent one is the Bright and Compact X-ray Source (BriXS) which has recently been proposed to produce very energetic X-rays (up to 180 keV) and high photon flux (up to 1013 photons/s with expected bandwidth of 1-10%). BriXS will be installed in Milan and it will enable advanced large area radiological imaging applications to be conducted with mono-chromatic X-rays, as well as allowing basic fundamental science of matter and health sciences at both pre- and clinical levels. Based on an energy-recovery linac (ERL) scheme and superconducting technology, BriXS will operate in CW regime with an unprecedented electron beam repetition rate of 100 MHz. The second Italian ICS light source is the Southern Europe Thomson back-scattering source for Applied Research (STAR) which is currently installed at the University of Calabria (UniCal). STAR is a compact machine that has been designed to produce monochromatic and tunable, ps-long, polarized X-ray beams in the range 40-140 keV with a photon flux up to 1010 photons/s and energy bandwidth below 10%. The electron beam injector is based on normal-conducting technology in S-Band with a repetition rate up to 100 Hz.

We present a new paradigm for computation of radiation spectra in the non-linear regime of operation of inverse Compton sources characterized by high laser intensities. The resulting simulations show an unprecedented level of agreement with the experiments. Increasing the laser intensity changes the longitudinal velocity of the electrons during their collision, leading to considerable non-linear broadening in the scattered radiation spectra. The effects of such ponderomotive broadening are so deleterious that most inverse Compton sources either remain at low laser intensities or pay a steep price to operate at a small fraction of the physically possible peak spectral output. This ponderomotive broadening can be reduced by a suitable frequency modulation (also referred to as "chirping", which is not necessarily linear) of the incident laser pulse, thereby drastically increasing the peak spectral density. This frequency modulation, included in the new code as an optional functionality, is used in simulations to motivate the experimental implementation of this transformative technique., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures

The need of a fs-scale pulsed, high repetition rate, X-ray source for time-resolved fine analysis of matter (spectroscopy and photon scattering) in the linear response regime is addressed by the conceptual design of a facility called MariX (Multi-disciplinary Advanced Research Infrastructure for the generation and application of X-rays) outperforming current X-ray sources for the declared scope. MariX is based on the original design of a two-pass two-way superconducting linear electron accelerator , equipped with an arc compressor, to be operated in CW mode (1 MHz). MariX provides FEL emission in the range 0.2–8 keV with 1 0 8 photons per pulse ideally suited for photoelectric effect and inelastic X-ray scattering experiments. The accelerator complex includes an early stage that supports an advanced inverse Compton source of very high-flux hard X-rays of energies up to 180 keV that is well adapted for large area radiological imaging, realizing a broad science programme and serving a multidisciplinary user community, covering fundamental science of matter and application to life sciences, including health at preclinical and clinical level.

ELI–nuclear physics (NP) Gamma Beam System (GBS) is an intense and monochromatic gamma beam source based on inverse Compton interaction, currently being built in Bucharest, Romania. The gamma beam produced, with energy ranging from 0.2 to 20 MeV, energy bandwidth 0.5% and flux of about 10 8 photons/s , will be devoted to investigate a broad range of applications such as nuclear physics, astrophysics, material science and life sciences. The radiation produced by an inverse Compton interaction is not intrinsically monochromatic. In fact, the energy of the photons produced is related to the emission angle, therefore the energy bandwidth can be modified adjusting the collimation of the gamma beam. In order to define the optimal layout and evaluate the performance of a collimation system for the ELI–NP–GBS low-energy beamline (0.2–3.5 MeV), a detailed Monte Carlo simulation activity has been carried out. The simulation, using Geant4 and MCNPX codes, included the transport of the gamma beam from the interaction point to the experimental area passing through vacuum pipes, vacuum chambers, collimation system and relative shielding. The effectiveness of the collimation system, in obtaining the required energy distribution and avoiding the contamination due to secondary radiation production, was evaluated. Also, the background radiation generated by collimation and the shielding layout have been studied.

Compton scattering, though first described some one hundred years ago, has recently experienced a surge of interest due to the search for energy sources that are capable of yielding low emission bandwidths. In particular, the desire for hard x-rays with energies greater than 10 keV has led to increased study of inverse Compton sources. The rise in interest concerning inverse Compton sources has increased the need for efficient models that properly quantify the behavior of scattered radiation given a set of interaction parameters. The current, state-of-the-art, simulations rely of Monte Carlo-based methods, which may fail to properly model collisions of bunches in low-probability regions of the spectrum. Furthermore, the random sampling of the simulations may lead to inordinately high runtimes. Our methods can properly model behaviors exhibited by the collisions by integrating over the emissions of the electrons in the bunch in a lessened amount of time. Analytical simulations of Gaussian laser beams closely verify the behavior predicted by an analytically derived scaling law describing bandwidth of scattered radiation., Proceedings of the 9th Int. Particle Accelerator Conf., IPAC2018, Vancouver, BC, Canada

The conceptual design of a compact source of GeV-class muons is presented, based on a plasma based electron–gamma collider. Evaluations of muon flux, spectra and brilliance are presented, carried out with ad-hoc Monte Carlo simulations of the electron–gamma collisions. These are analyzed in the context of a large spread of the invariant mass in the e–gamma interaction, due to the typical characteristics of plasma self-injected GeV electron beams, carrying large bunch charges with huge energy spread. The availability of a compact point-like muon source, triggerable at nsec level, may open a completely new scenario in the muon radiography application field.

We present a new, more nuanced understanding of non-linear effects in inverse Compton sources. Deleterious non-linear effects can arise even at low laser intensities, a regime previously viewed as linear. After laying out a survey of non-linear phenomena which degrade the effectiveness of inverse Compton sources, we discuss two powerful techniques designed to avoid these non-linearities. Starting with the known technique of non-linear longitudinal chirping of the laser pulse in the high laser field regime, we show that the simple stretching of the laser pulse, while keeping the energy constant, can significantly increase the spectral density of the scattered radiation in many operating regimes. Our numerical simulations show that combining these two techniques avoids detrimental non-linearities and improves the performance of inverse Compton sources over an order of magnitude.

Coronary angiography is clinically used worldwide to diagnose diseases of coronary arteries. Despite its effectiveness, this technique is quite invasive and it is associated with significant risks due to the arterial catheterisation needed to inject the contrast agent. A valid alternative is using the K-edge subtraction (KES) method, which is based on the subtraction of two images acquired at energies bracketing the K-edge of the contrast element. The enhanced sensitivity of KES allows the intravenous injection of the contrast agent, thus reducing the risks of catheterisation. This technique can be effectively implemented by using intense and quasi-monochromatic x-ray beams. Synchrotron radiation has been proven to work well for this purpose, but its cost and size prevent a widespread clinical application. Inverse Compton sources are among the most promising innovative sources of intense and quasi-monochromatic x-rays. These sources are intrinsically more compact than those based on synchrotron radiation. In this work, the potential application of inverse Compton radiation to KES angiography is investigated. To this purpose, after a short review of the physics behind the inverse Compton process, an analytical framework is described. The proposed model is based on the application of the KES algorithm to calculate the SNR of details inside a suitable mathematical phantom. That allowed us to identify the characteristics of an inverse Compton source required for KES imaging. In particular, it was estimated that a photon fluence of 108 ph mm-2 is necessary to detect signals of clinical interest. Novel sources based on inverse Compton promise to achieve this requirement with an acquisition time of few hundreds of ms. This feature, together with compactness, broad two-dimensional radiation field, absence of harmonic contamination and the ability to deliver high photon fluxes also at high energies, makes this kind of sources promising for KES angiography and other diagnostic applications.

We present the design of a photon–photon collider based on conventional Compton gamma sources for the observation of secondary γ γ production. Two symmetric electron beams, generated by photocathodes and accelerated in linacs, produce two primary gamma rays through Compton back scattering with two high energy lasers. Tuning the system energy to the energy of the photon–photon cross section maximum, a flux of secondary gamma photons is generated. The process is analyzed by start-to-end simulations from the photocathodes to the propagation of the QED photons towards the detector. The new Monte Carlo code ‘Rate Of Scattering Events’ (ROSE) has been developed ad hoc for the counting of the QED events. Realistic numbers of the secondary gamma yield, referring to existing or approved set-ups and a discussion of the feasibility of the experiment are presented.

A new laser chirping prescription is derived by means of the phase-stationary method for an incident Gaussian laser pulse in conjunction with a Lienard-Wiechert calculation of the scattered radiation flux and spectral brilliance. This particularly efficient laser chirp has been obtained using the electric field of the laser and for electrons and radiation on axis. The frequency modulation is somewhat reduced with respect to that proposed in the previous literature, allowing the application of this procedure to lasers with larger values of the parameter a0. Numerical calculations have been performed using mildly focused and narrow bandwidth laser pulses, confirming a larger efficiency of the chirp prescription here introduced. The chirp efficiency has been analysed as a function of the laser parameter and focusing.A new laser chirping prescription is derived by means of the phase-stationary method for an incident Gaussian laser pulse in conjunction with a Lienard-Wiechert calculation of the scattered radiation flux and spectral brilliance. This particularly efficient laser chirp has been obtained using the electric field of the laser and for electrons and radiation on axis. The frequency modulation is somewhat reduced with respect to that proposed in the previous literature, allowing the application of this procedure to lasers with larger values of the parameter a0. Numerical calculations have been performed using mildly focused and narrow bandwidth laser pulses, confirming a larger efficiency of the chirp prescription here introduced. The chirp efficiency has been analysed as a function of the laser parameter and focusing.

Purpose The development of compact sources of high brilliance, mono-chromatic, tunable X-rays with energy in the range 30–150 keV is a topical research field; applications in radiodiagnostics are foreseen. The aim of this work is to propose the use of a compact source based on X-ray Compton back-scattering (also known as Inverse Compton Source, ICS) developed within the MariX/BriXS project [1] , for kilovoltage rotational radiotherapy dedicated to the breast. Methods The proposed source is based on a modified Tigner scheme of push-and-pull twin Super-Conducting Energy Recovery Linacs, just wrapped on itself in order to halve the overall length of the machine. The ICS source was simulated by using the code CAIN and the output X-ray photon beam was obtained. The anticipated performances are a flux up to 1013 photons/s within 5% bandwidth, coming in radiation pulses a few psec long at a repetition rate up to 100 MHz, fully tunable in the 20–150 keV energy range with full control of polarization and adjustable bandwidth in the range 0.5–10%. The simulated X-ray spectrum was used as an input of a previously validated Monte Carlo Geant4 code to calculate the dose distribution in a 50/50 breast phantom during a rotational radiotherapy scan. The pendant breast was modelled as a cylinder of 14 cm diameter and 9 cm height irradiated over 360 deg at 88 keV average energy and a 1-cm tumor was simulated at the isocenter. Results The dose distribution obtained with the kilovoltage beam generated by the ICS source shows that it is possible to perform a partial breast irradiation with dose levels to the target and to the skin, compatible with clinical treatments using conventional linacs. Conclusions We proposed the application of a Compton back-scattering X-ray source for kilovoltage rotational radiotherapy for breast cancer. The technique could be useful for partial breast irradiation with or without injection of a dose enhancement agent, for radiosurgery of small size breast tumors.

The ELI-NP Gamma Beam Source (GBS) is now under construction in Magurele–Bucharest (RO). Here an advanced source of gamma photons with unprecedented specifications of brilliance ( > 10 21 ), monochromaticity (0.5%) and energy tunability (0.2–19.5 MeV) is being built, based on Inverse Compton Scattering in the head-on configuration between an electron beam of maximum energy 750 MeV and a high quality high power ps laser beam. These requirements make the ELI-NP GBS an advanced and challenging gamma ray source. The electron beam dynamics analysis and control regarding the machine sensitivity to the possible jitter and misalignments are presented. The effects on the beam quality are illustrated providing the basis for the alignment procedure and jitter tolerances.

We study the possibility of producing x-gamma rays with orbital angular momentum by means of the inverse Compton backscattering between a high brightness electron beam and a twisted laser pulse. We use the classical electrodynamics retarded fields for evaluating the orbital angular momentum of the radiation and connecting it to that of the primary laser pulse. We then propose the dimensioning of a linearly polarized x-ray source with orbital angular momentum, starting from the parameters of operating Thomson setups. © 2016 American Physical Society.

We present the design of a photon-photon collider based on conventional Compton gamma sources for the observation of elastic $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ scattering. Two symmetric electron beams, generated by photocathodes and accelerated in linacs, produce two primary gamma rays through Compton backscattering with two high energy lasers. The elastic photon-photon scattering is analyzed by start-to-end simulations from the photocathodes to the detector. A new Monte Carlo code has been developed ad hoc for the counting of the QED events. Realistic numbers of the secondary gamma yield, obtained by using the parameters of existing or approved Compton devices, a discussion of the feasibility of the experiment and of the nature of the background are presented.

The SPARC_LAB Thomson source is a compact X-ray source based on the Thomson backscattering process presently under its second phase of commissioning at the LNF. The electron beam energy ranges between 30 and 150 MeV, the electrons collide head-on with the Ti:Sapphire FLAME laser pulse the energy of which ranges between 1 and 5 J with pulse lengths in the 25 fs–10 ps range, this provides an X-ray energy tunability in the range of 20–500 keV, with the further capability to generate strongly non-linear phenomena and to drive diffusion processes due to multiple and plural scattering effects. The experimental results of the obtained X-ray radiation are presented.

A systematic study of the polarization of x-gamma rays produced in Thomson and Compton scattering is presented, in both classical and quantum schemes. Numerical results and analytical considerations let us to establish the polarization level as a function of acceptance, bandwidth and energy. Few sources have been considered: the SPARC_LAB Thomson device, as an example of a x-ray Thomson source, ELI-NP, operating in the gamma range. Then, the typical parameters of a beam produced by a plasma accelerator has been analyzed. In the first case, with bandwidths up to 10%, a contained reduction ($l10%$) in the average polarization occurs. In the last case, for the nominal ELI-NP relative bandwidth of $5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1{0}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$, the polarization is always close to 1. For applications requiring larger bandwidth, however, a degradation of the polarization up to 30% must be taken into account. In addition, an all optical gamma source based on a plasma accelerated electron beam cannot guarantee narrow bandwidth and high polarization operational conditions required in nuclear photonics experiments.

We present a simple and new scheme for producing two-colour Thomson/Compton radiation with the possibility of controlling separately the polarization of the two different colours, based on the interaction of one single electron beam with two light pulses that can come from the same laser setup or from two different lasers and that collide with the electrons at different angle. One of the most interesting cases for medical applications is to provide two X-ray pulses across the iodine K -edge at 33.2 keV. The iodine is used as contrast medium in various imaging techniques and the availability of two spectral lines accross the K -edge allows one to produce subtraction images with a great increase in accuracy.