Investigation of magnetic field manipulated electrons produced from laser-driven ultrafast x-ray sources using x-ray emission spectroscopy

We used x-ray emission spectroscopy to study energetic electrons (10-100 keV) generated at the laser focus of an intense ultrafast laser interacting with a primary thin film tape target. The electrons penetrated the tape and reached a secondary target of thin metal foils as the probe. The trajectories of these electrons were manipulated with an external magnetic field generated from a home-made Halbach magnet. The interaction of these energetic electrons with the probe produced characteristic x-rays, which were used to infer the flux and temperature of the electrons emitted from the laser focus at the primary tape target. A potential application using these energetic electrons is discussed.