Imaging of dynamic processes in materials with a laser-wakefield accelerator
Betatron x rays generated from laser-wakefield accelerators are a promising source for imaging dynamic processes in materials. Here, we present proof-of-concept imaging of microstructural evolution in a hypermonotectic <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <a:mi>Al</a:mi> </a:math> - <c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <c:mi>Bi</c:mi> </c:math> alloy, which consists of liquid <e:math xmlns:e="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <e:mi>Bi</e:mi> </e:math> particles in a solid <g:math xmlns:g="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <g:mi>Al</g:mi> </g:math> matrix. The images capture the elongation and fragmentation of <i:math xmlns:i="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <i:mi>Bi</i:mi> </i:math> particles upon isothermal annealing. Because of the femtosecond time scale of the betatron source, the images are not subject to motion blur, whereas the accessibility of the source allows for studies of long-term processes such as annealing. The high-resolution data reveal that the evolution of <k:math xmlns:k="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <k:mi>Bi</k:mi> </k:math> particles is mediated by an interplay of grain-boundary wetting and morphological instability, in stark contrast to an earlier proposal for (inverse) coarsening.
Authors
- J.A. Cardarelli
- S. P. D. Mangles (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2443-4201)
- Paul G. Sanders (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0334-1540)
- Ashwin J. Shahani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6157-840X)
- S. J. D. Dann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6875-631X)
- Jun Yong Kang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4788-0028)
- Christopher Arran (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8644-8118)
- C. D. Murphy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3849-3229)
- R. J. Shalloo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9568-3814)
- P. P. Rajeev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7375-0000)
- M. P. Selwood (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9163-1857)
- N. Bourgeois
- A. F. Antoine
- C. D. Baird (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9973-7173)
- C. Thornton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1267-5788)
- K. Krushelnick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9116-9511)
- Mario Balcazar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1151-0316)
- Philip Staublin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2403-4662)
- Z. Najmudin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6323-4005)
- M. J. V. Streeter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9086-9831)
- J.-N. Gruse (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4099-8341)
- C. I. D. Underwood (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1691-6377)
- Chris Ridgers
- Alexander G. R. Thomas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3206-8512)
- Ning Lu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1890-3681)
- Matthew J. Higgins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6043-8360)
- D. R. Symes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3443-9209)
Institutions
- Michigan Technological University (US)
- Queen's University Belfast (GB)
- Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (GB)
- Cockcroft Institute (GB)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY (DE)
- Optical Sciences (United States) (US)
- Centro Laser (IT)
- Central Laser Facility
- Imperial College London (GB)
- University of York (GB)
- Lancaster University (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Physical Review Applied
- Published
- 2025-11-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1103/jzzn-bsy8
- Primary Topic
- Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Michigan Technological University
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Science and Technology Facilities Council
- High Energy Physics
- Army Research Office