Quantum mechanics

Nuclear physics

Gamma ray

Energy (signal processing)

Medical physics

Computer science

Resolution (logic)

Metrology

Image resolution

Photon

Tomography

Laser

Physics

Optics

Artificial intelligence

Industrial computed tomography

Bremsstrahlung

Nondestructive testing

Scientific Reports

Computed Tomography (CT) is a powerful method for non-destructive testing (NDT) and metrology awakes with expanding application fields. To improve the spatial resolution of high energy CT, a micro-spot gamma-ray source based on bremsstrahlung from a laser wakefield accelerator was developed. A high energy CT using the source was performed, which shows that the resolution of reconstruction can reach 100 μm at 10% contrast. Our proof-of-principle demonstration indicates that laser driven micro-spot gamma-ray sources provide a prospective way to increase the spatial resolution and toward to high energy micro CT. Due to the advantage in spatial resolution, laser based high energy CT represents a large potential for many NDT applications.

Towards high-energy, high-resolution computed tomography via a laser driven micro-spot gamma-ray source