X-ray phase contrast imaging of spherical capsules.

We demonstrate that a laser-based synchrotron X-ray source can be used to image and characterize in a single laser shot spherical capsules similar to ICF targets. Thus, we establish this source potential tbr real-time ultrafast imaging of the ICF laser driver interaction with the target. To produce the X-ray beam we used a 160 TW high power laser system with 3.2 J and 20 fs incident on a supersonic gas jet target at 2.5 Hz repetition rate. We produced 2.7 x 10(9) photons/0.1% BW/sr/shot at 10 keV with a critical energy E-c = 15.1 key. In our experimental conditions the spatial resolution was 4.3 mu m in the object plane. We show that it is feasible to image the capsule structure and experimentally retrieve the phase information. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement