Abstract Inverse Thomson scattering from laser-plasma accelerators offers a pathway to compact, tunable MeV -ray sources for reduced-dose radiography and enhanced performance in nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) -based isotope identification. However, photon yield and spectral quality are often limited by constraints on interaction geometry and scatter-laser tunability. Here we demonstrate a MeV -ray source based on a dual-laser inverse Thomson scattering configuration driven by a 100-TW laser-plasma accelerator. Electron beams tunable from 122 to 204 MeV with <5 mrad divergence and <1 mrad pointing stability generate rays with peak energies from 276 keV to 1. 2 MeV and yields up to 2 10^7 photons per shot. By independently controlling the interaction position and the scatter-pulse duration, we experimentally match the scatter pulse to the walk-off-limited interaction length. Extending the scatter pulse to 200 fs increases photon production by approximately 15\% while maintaining operation in the linear Thomson regime, thereby preserving narrow spectral bandwidth and controlled radiation divergence. Radiographic characterization demonstrates MeV-level penetration and 0. 1 mm spatial resolution, while stable operation is sustained over multi-hour timescales across multiple days. These results show that interaction-length optimization provides a scalable strategy for improving photon yield, spectral control, and operational stability in compact laser-plasma-accelerator-driven -ray sources.
Tsai et al. (Tue,) studied this question.