X-Ray Photons Produced From A Plasma-Cathode Electron Beam For Radiation Biology Applications

A compact low-energy and high-intensity x-ray source for radiation biology applications is presented. A laser-induced plasma moves inside a 30kV diode and produces a beam of 10(14) electrons at the anode location. An aluminum foil converts a part of the energy of these electrons into x-ray photons, which are characterized using filtered imaging plates. The dose that would be deposited by these x-ray photons in C. elegans larvae is calculated from Geant4 simulations. It can be set to a value ranging between 10 mu Gy and 10 mGy per laser shot by simply changing the aluminum foil thickness and the diode voltage. Therefore, this versatile and compact x-ray source opens a new path to explore the radiation effects induced by dose rates varying over several orders of magnitude.