X-ray phase contrast imaging of additive manufactured structures using a laser wakefield accelerator

X-rays generated by the betatron oscillations of electrons in a nonlinear plasma wakefield have been proposed to be useful for a range of applications. In this study, the scaling of the x-ray fluence and energy with electron beam properties and laser power are studied and the application of the x-rays for imaging additive manufactured (3D printed) test objects is investigated. The scalings confirm a strong increase in x-ray fluence with laser power and the imaging shows strong fringe contrast due to the micron scale source size. (paper)