Laser–Electron Source of X-Ray Radiation (Based on the Introductory Speech at the Seminar Dedicated to the 85th Anniversary of B.S. Ishkhanov in SINP MSU, October 26, 2023)

The paper, like the seminar where it was presented, is dedicated to the memory of the outstanding physicist and nuclear scientist, Professor of Moscow State University B.S. Ishkhanov, more precisely, to his contribution to the research and development of LEXG—laser–electron X-ray generators. The relevance and prospects of this direction are associated with the ‘‘gap’’ between two existing types of X-ray generators: on the one hand, X-ray tubes, and on the other, electron accelerators, storage rings, and free electron lasers. This involves a vast difference in beam characteristics, cost, scale, energy consumption, etc. The history of LEXG, modern projects abroad, as well as the Lomonosov Moscow State University–Jilin University project, carried out under the supervision of B.S. Ishkhanov, are briefly presented. From the point of view of their applications, LEXG designs can be divided into two types and, accordingly, devices of different scales. In the first case, it is the application area of common X-ray tubes, and in the second, it is radiation medicine, nuclear technologies, and nuclear physics research. International conferences on LEXG have been held since 2008. Their list is provided in the Appendix to the article.