High-contrast and high-resolution X-ray phase-contrast imaging based on betatron sources driven by a laser wakefield accelerator

Sijie Fan; Jiaxing Wen; Hansheng Ye; Hang Guo; Sixin Wu; Mao Peng; Gaojie Zeng; Xiangjun Xiang; Tao Zhu; Qiang Gong; Lai Wei; Shaoyi Wang; Bo Zhang; Yuchi Wu; Song Li; Xianfeng Shen; Zhentian Wang; Wentao Wang; Shuke Huang; Wenhui Huang; Zongqing Zhao

doi:10.1063/5.0320107

Volume 11 Issue 4

Jul. 2026

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Article Navigation > Matter and Radiation at Extremes > 2026 > 11(4): 047205

Sijie Fan, Jiaxing Wen, Hansheng Ye, Hang Guo, Sixin Wu, Mao Peng, Gaojie Zeng, Xiangjun Xiang, Tao Zhu, Qiang Gong, Lai Wei, Shaoyi Wang, Bo Zhang, Yuchi Wu, Song Li, Xianfeng Shen, Zhentian Wang, Wentao Wang, Shuke Huang, Wenhui Huang, Zongqing Zhao. High-contrast and high-resolution X-ray phase-contrast imaging based on betatron sources driven by a laser wakefield accelerator[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(4): 047205. doi: 10.1063/5.0320107

Citation:

Sijie Fan, Jiaxing Wen, Hansheng Ye, Hang Guo, Sixin Wu, Mao Peng, Gaojie Zeng, Xiangjun Xiang, Tao Zhu, Qiang Gong, Lai Wei, Shaoyi Wang, Bo Zhang, Yuchi Wu, Song Li, Xianfeng Shen, Zhentian Wang, Wentao Wang, Shuke Huang, Wenhui Huang, Zongqing Zhao. High-contrast and high-resolution X-ray phase-contrast imaging based on betatron sources driven by a laser wakefield accelerator[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(4): 047205. doi: 10.1063/5.0320107

Citation:

Sijie Fan, Jiaxing Wen, Hansheng Ye, Hang Guo, Sixin Wu, Mao Peng, Gaojie Zeng, Xiangjun Xiang, Tao Zhu, Qiang Gong, Lai Wei, Shaoyi Wang, Bo Zhang, Yuchi Wu, Song Li, Xianfeng Shen, Zhentian Wang, Wentao Wang, Shuke Huang, Wenhui Huang, Zongqing Zhao. High-contrast and high-resolution X-ray phase-contrast imaging based on betatron sources driven by a laser wakefield accelerator[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(4): 047205. doi: 10.1063/5.0320107

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High-contrast and high-resolution X-ray phase-contrast imaging based on betatron sources driven by a laser wakefield accelerator

doi: 10.1063/5.0320107

1.
National Key Laboratory of Plasma Physics, Laser Fusion Research Center, CAEP, Mianyang 621900, China
2.
Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
3.
Key Laboratory of Ultra-Intense Laser Science and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, CAS, Shanghai 201800, China
4.
School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
5.
National Interdisciplinary Research Center of Engineering Physics, CAEP, Mianyang 621050, China
6.
Institute of Machinery Manufacturing Technology, CAEP, Mianyang 621900, China

More Information

Corresponding author: a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: zhaozongqing99@caep.cn
Received Date: 2025-12-29
Accepted Date: 2026-04-09

Available Online: 2026-07-24

Publish Date: 2026-07-24

Abstract

Abstract

X-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCI) provides superior sensitivity for the diagnosis of low-Z materials compared with absorption-based techniques. Betatron radiation generated by laser wakefield accelerators, which offers high photon flux, ultra-short duration, and relatively high spatial coherence, is a promising compact source for XPCI. At present, there is a lack of knowledge about how to control wakefield accelerators and realize high-quality XPCI. This study investigates the influence of gas pressure (plasma density) on betatron source characteristics and on the performance of propagation-based XPCI. Through particle-in-cell and wave-optics simulations, it explores the relationship between gas pressure and imaging characteristics such as spatial resolution and brightness and determines an optimal operation window. Experimental results confirm this optimal operation window at 40–45 psi [plasma density ∼3–4×1018cm−3], with which a peak photon flux of 8×1012 photons/sr and a contrast of 20.32% at a spatial resolution of 5 μm are realized. This study demonstrates a pathway for the optimization of betatron-based XPCI, enabling synchrotron-comparable spatial resolution in a laboratory-scale setup and shows the potential of XPCI in ultrafast microscopic imaging applications.

Conflict of Interest
The authors have no conflicts to disclose.
Sijie Fan: Conceptualization (equal); Data curation (lead); Formal analysis (lead); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Software (equal); Visualization (equal); Writing – original draft (lead); Writing – review & editing (equal). Jiaxing Wen: Conceptualization (equal); Investigation (supporting); Methodology (equal); Project administration (equal); Supervision (equal); Visualization (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Hansheng Ye: Investigation (equal); Validation (lead); Visualization (supporting); Writing – review & editing (equal). Hang Guo: Investigation (equal). Sixin Wu: Investigation (equal); Project administration (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Mao Peng: Investigation (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Gaojie Zeng: Investigation (equal). Xiangjun Xiang: Investigation (equal). Tao Zhu: Investigation (supporting). Qiang Gong: Investigation (supporting). Lai Wei: Investigation (supporting). Shaoyi Wang: Resources (supporting). Bo Zhang: Methodology (supporting); Visualization (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Yuchi Wu: Project administration (equal); Resources (supporting). Song Li: Resources (supporting). Xianfeng Shen: Resources (supporting). Zhentian Wang: Resources (supporting); Software (equal). Wentao Wang: Project administration (equal); Resources (supporting). Shuke Huang: Resources (supporting). Wenhui Huang: Supervision (equal). Zongqing Zhao: Funding acquisition (lead); Project administration (equal); Resources (lead); Supervision (equal).
Author Contributions
S.F. and J.W. conceived the idea. S.F. and H.Y. designed the experiments. S.F., H.Y., S.W., M.P., X.X., H.G., G.Z., T.Z., Q.G., and L.W. carried out the experiments. G.Z. designed the nozzle target. S.F. carried out the wave-optics simulation. S.F. and H.Y. carried out the PIC simulation. S.F. prepared the paper. J.W., B.Z., H.Y., M.P., S.W., and Z.Z. contributed to review of the manuscript. Z.Z. supervised the project. Z.Z., W.H., Z.W., W.W., S.L., S.H., X.S., Y.W., and S.W. provided support with experimental equipment and materials.
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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References(51)

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