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This Dissertation deals with the development of FAIR-relevant X-ray diagnostics based on the interaction of lasers and particle beams with matter. The associated experimental methods are supposed to be employed in the HIHEX-experiments in the HHT-cave of the GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy-Ion Research GmbH (GSI) in Phase-0 and in the APPA-cave at the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany.
Diagnostic of high aerial density targets that will be used in FAIR experiments demands intense and highly penetrating X-ray sources. Laser generated well-directe relativistic electron beams that interact with high Z materials is an excellent tool for generation of short-pulse high luminous sources of MeV-gammas.
In pilot experiments carried out at the PHELIX laser system, GSI Darmstadt, relativistic electrons were produced in a long scale plasma of near critical electron density (NCD) by the mechanism of the direct laser acceleration (DLA). Low density polymer foam layers preionised by a well-defined nanosecond laser pulse were used as NCD targets. The analysis of the measured electron spectra showed up to 10- fold increase of the electron "temperature" from T_Hot = 1–2 MeV, measured for the case of the interaction of 1–2 ×10^19 Wcm^(−2) ps-laser pulse with a planar foil, up to 14 MeV for the case when the relativistic laser pulse propagates through the by a ns-pulse preionised foam layer. In this case, up to 80–90 MeV electron energy was registered. An increase of the electron energy was accompanied by a strong increase of the number of relativistic electrons and well-defined directionality of the relativistic electron beam measured to be (12 ±1)° (FWHM). This directionality increases the gamma flux on target by far compared to the soft X-ray sources.
Additionally to laser based active diagnostics, passive techniques involving inherent X-ray fluorescence radiation of projectile and target emitted during heavy-ion target interaction can be used to measure the ion beam distribution on shot. This information is of great importance, since the target size is chosen to be smaller than the beam focus in order to ensure homogeneous heating of the HIHEX-target by the ion beam. High amounts of parasitic radiation and activation of experimental equipment is expected for experiments at the APPA-cave. For this reason, all electronic devices must be placed at a safe distance to the target chamber. In order to transport the signal over a large distance, the X-ray image of the target irradiated by heavy-ions has to be converted into an optical one.
For these purposes, the X-ray Conversion to Optical radiation and Transport (XCOT)-system was developed in the frame of a BMBF-project and commissioned in two beamtimes at the UNILAC, GSI during this work.
In experiments, we observed intense radiation of target atoms (K-shell transitions in Cu at 8–8.3 keV and L-shell transition in Ta) ionised in collisions with heavy ions as well as Doppler-shifted L-shell transitions of Au-projectiles passing through targets. This radiation can be used for monochromatic (dispersive elements like bent crystals) or polychromatic (pinhole) 2D X-ray mapping of the ion beam intensity distribution in the interaction region during the beam-target interaction. We measured the efficiency of the X-ray photon production depending on the target thickness and the number of ions passing through the target. The spatial resolution of the XCOT-system based on the multi-pinhole camera was measured to be (91±17) μm for the image magnification factor M = 2. It was considerably improved by application of a toroidally bent quartz crystal and reached 30 μm at M = 6. This resolution is optimal to image the distribution of a 1mm in diameter ion beam. As next step, the XCOT-system will be tested during the SIS18 beam-time at the HHT-experimental area.