Laser-driven electron source suitable for single-shot Gy-scale irradiation of biological cells at dose rates exceeding 10^{10} Gy/s.

McAnespie, C A; Chaudhary, P; Calvin, L; Streeter, M J V; Nersysian, G; McMahon, S J; Prise, K M; Sarri, G · Phys Rev E · 2024

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

We report on the first systematic characterization of a tuneable laser-driven electron source capable of delivering Gy-scale doses in a duration of 10-20 ps in a single irradiation, thus reaching unprecedented dose rates in the range of 10^{10}-10^{12} Gy/s. Detailed characterization of the source indicates, in agreement with Monte Carlo simulations, dose delivery over cm-scale areas with a high degree of spatial uniformity. The results reported here confirm that a laser-driven source of this kind can be used for systematic studies of the response of biological cells to picosecond-scale radiation at ultrahigh dose rates.