X-ray source studies for radiography of dense matter

Studies of short-pulse laser-generated hard x-ray (18-60 keV) sources, suitable for radiographs of large samples of dense matter, are presented. The spatial and dynamic resolutions for different target types and laser parameters have been investigated. A high quality radiograph with good spatial resolution in two dimensions was demonstrated by irradiating freestanding thin W wires. The influence of the geometry for the quality of the radiograph, which is crucial for the design of experiments probing laser-compressed matter, is reported.