Theoretical and Experimental Studies of Multiple Foil Bremsstrahlung Sources

The bremsstrahlung output obtained from the interaction of a single relativistic electron beam with multiple converter foils in a wire-initiated plasma channel has been studied experimentally and theoretically. Agreement of model predictions with the measured spatial variation in thermoluminescent dosimetry is satisfactory in view of the limited source diagnostics. The utility of the model for investigating parameter dependences in this complex scheme is demonstrated. Preliminary experimental results are analyzed in order to compare the multiple-foil approach with a more conventional single-foil scheme employing Bz transport and compression. The maximum dose-area product obtained from multiple-foil experiments was approximately 50% higher than that obtained from the standard single-foil configuration.