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Start of funding 01.01.2011
Laser-driven X-ray Source for Medical Imaging
Prof. Dr. Florian Grüner
Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich
Dr. Wim Leemans
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Munich team is the world´s first group to realize a laser-driven,
soft X-ray undulator source (Fuchs et al., Nature Physics, 5, 826
(2009)) - a major break-through in the newly emerging field of
brilliant X-ray sources based upon laser-plasma accelerators. Owing to
their much higher accelerating gradients, their total length shrinks
from few hundred meters down to few centimetres - and this holds
promise for installing such novel X-ray sources in hospitals - whereas
comparably brilliant, conventional (third-generation) synchrotron
sources are simply too spacious with their few hundred meter
diameters. Together with our Berkeley partner we want to advance
laser-plasma accelerators towards medical imaging - with the advantage
of reducing the radiation dose, especially for mammography.
Final report:
Laser-driven sources of x-rays form a very active and rapidly evolving field of research. Promising a
compact source of high-brightness x-ray beams, they could provide an invaluable tool for research
insitutes, while at the same time being widely available due to their reduced size and cost. Their unique
properties have a wide range of applications, for example in medical imaging, where high-resolution
diagnostic images at reduced dose rate seem possible.
During the grant period a fruitful exchange with cooperation partners in Berkeley was supported, leading
to intensified cooperation between both groups. The area of laser-driven sources of x-rays prooved to be
a very promising field, and in the meantime PhD theses as well es first measurements towards enhanced
medical imaging could be completed.