Experimental layout for the realization of an X-ray plasma source driven by a Nd:YAG laser for biological and medical applications

In this paper, an experimental set-up for the X-ray production (70eV-25keV energy range) by a plasma, obtained focalizing a high-power Nd:YAG laser beam on a specific target, is presented. The measures of the characteristics of a custom Nd:YAG high-power laser beam (maximum of 8J at 1064nm, 5ns pulse duration) and a new disposition of the target-lens system in the interaction chamber are discussed. The aim of this research is the use of the plasma resulting by the focalization of the laser beam, which will be used as a soft X-ray source or an electron source instead of the hot filament of the standard mammographic X-ray tubes.