LESM: a laser-driven sub-MeV electron source delivering ultra-high dose rate on thin biological samples

• Published in: Journal of physics. D, Applied physics Vol. 49; no. 27; pp. 275401 - 275409
• Main Authors: Labate, L, Andreassi, M G, Baffigi, F, Bizzarri, R, Borghini, A, Bussolino, G C, Fulgentini, L, Ghetti, F, Giulietti, A, Köster, P, Lamia, D, Levato, T, Oishi, Y, Pulignani, S, Russo, G, Sgarbossa, A, Gizzi, L A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IOP Publishing 13.07.2016
• Subjects: cell radiation damage; laser-driven electron accelerators; radiobiology; sub-MeV electron sources; ultrahigh dose rate
• ISSN: 0022-3727; 1361-6463
• DOI: 10.1088/0022-3727/49/27/275401

We present a laser-driven source of electron bunches with average energy 260 keV and picosecond duration, which has been setup for radiobiological tests covering the previously untested sub-MeV energy range. Each bunch combines high charge with short duration and sub-millimeter range into a record instantaneous dose rate, as high as 109 Gy s−1. The source can be operated at 10 Hz and its average dose rate is 35 mGy s−1. Both the high instantaneous dose rate and high level of relative biological effectiveness, attached to sub-MeV electrons, make this source very attractive for studies of ultrafast radiobiology on thin cell samples. The source reliability, in terms of shot-to-shot stability of features such as mean energy, bunch charge and transverse beam profile, is discussed, along with a dosimetric characterization. Finally, a few preliminary biological tests performed with this source are presented.