Bright coherent attosecond X-ray pulses from beam-driven relativistic mirrors

Abstract

Bright ultrashort X-ray pulses allow scientists to observe ultrafast motion of atoms and molecules. Coherent light sources, such as the X-ray free electron laser (XFEL), enable remarkable discoveries in cell biology, protein crystallography, chemistry or materials science. However, in contrast to optical lasers, lack of X-ray mirrors demands XFELs to amplify radiation over a single pass, requiring tens or hundreds of meters long undulators to produce bright femtosecond X-ray pulses. Here, we propose a new ultrafast coherent light source based on laser reflection from a relativistic mirror driven by a relativistic charged particle beam in micrometer-scale plasma. We show that reflection of millijoule-level laser pulses from such mirrors can produce bright, coherent and bandwidth-tunable attosecond X-ray pulses with peak intensity and spectral brightness comparable to XFELs. In addition, we find that beam-driven relativistic mirrors are highly robust, with laser-induced damage threshold exceeding solid-state components by at least two orders of magnitude. Our results promise a new way for bright coherent attosecond X-ray pulse generation, suitable for unique applications in fundamental physics, biology and chemistry.