Our Technology

We use an ultrashort, high-intensity laser pulse to generate a plasma in a gas (the target). The carefully chosen target is injected into vacuum using a supersonic jet or cell structure to shape its density profile. Liquids or solid-state targets may also be used, depending on the desired application.

The laser pulse creates charge density waves as it propagates through the plasma, pulling electrons in its wake and accelerating them close to the speed of light. This process generates GeV/cm electric field gradients, hundreds of times greater than conventional technologies. As a result, electrons are accelerated to energies of GeV and greater in just centimeters. Protons can be similarly accelerated with different targets. This allows us to build the most compact high energy particle accelerators in the world.

As they are accelerated, electrons oscillate transversally, generating extraordinarily bright broadband, synchrotron-like X-rays called betatron radiation. These ultrashort pulses are emitted from a micron-scale source with photon energies from soft to hard X-rays (keV to tens of keV), enabling a variety of applications including non-destructive testing and high-resolution computed tomography.

Particles and X-rays exiting the compact accelerator are spatiotemporally conditioned in specially designed beamlines. We select the desired beam parameters (energy, energy spread, pulse duration) and shape the beams for delivery to the application, such as radiation testing of electronics or next-generation radiotherapy.

By hitting a secondary target with the relativistic electrons, we can convert them into MeV X-rays, neutrons, or muons. These unique particle sources enable novel applications, such as imaging of large objects, testing of nuclear materials, and reducing the lifetime of nuclear waste.

The ultrashort electron bunches can be fed into a magnetic structure called an undulator to create a free electron laser (FEL). The electrons group into microbunches, depending on the undulator period and their energy, and coherently emit radiation. At our high particle energies, we can produce X-ray and EUV radiation suitable for next-generation lithography. FELs are the brightest man-made light sources ever created.