Intense synchrotron radiation from a magnetically compressed relativistic electron layer

Using a simple model of a relativistic electron layer rotating in an axial magnetic field, energy gain by an increasing magnetic field and energy loss by synchrotron radiation were considered. For a typical example, initial conditions were ∼ 8 MeV electron in an ∼ 14 kG magnetic field, at a layer radius of ∼ 20 mm, and final conditions were ∼ 4 MG magnetic field ∼ 100 MeV electron layer energy at a layer radius of ∼ 1.0 mm. In the final state, the intense 1–10 keV synchrotron radiation imposes an electron energy loss time constant of ∼ 100 nanoseconds. In order to achieve these conditions in practice, the magnetic field must be compressed by an imploding conducting liner; preferably two flying rings⁽⁸⁾ in order to allow the synchrotron radiation to escape through the midplane. The synchrotron radiation loss rate imposes a lower limit to the liner implosion velocity required to achieve a given final electron energy (∼ 1 cm/µsec in the above example). In addition, if the electron ring can be made sufficiently strong (field reversed), the synchrotron radiation would be a unique source of high intensity soft x-radiation.