Inverse Compton scattering x-ray source for research, industry, and medical applications

There is a large performance gap between conventional X-ray sources and synchrotron radiation sources. An Inverse Compton Scattering (ICS) source can provide a narrow-band, high flux and tunable X-ray source that fits into a laboratory at a cost of a few percent of a large synchrotron facility. Here we present an ICS source design that is more than two orders of magnitude brighter than sources currently in operation, with applications in research, industry, and radiotherapy.