New research at the Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator (BELLA) – led by researchers in the ATAP and Physics Divisions in collaboration with colleagues from UC Berkeley and the University of Maryland, and reported recently in this publication in Physical Review Accelerators and Beams – has used a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) to generate a collimated beam of high-energy muons. The research has enabled the properties of a collimated beam of muons to be analyzed and could serve as a source of highly penetrating particles for compact imaging applications. The technique could lay the foundations for a powerful new imaging method that surpasses the capabilities of current electron, X-ray, gamma-ray, and proton imaging technologies.
Learn more:
- Portable source could produce high-energy muon beams
November 3, 2025 / Isabelle Dumé / Physics World - Directional Muon Beam Shows Potential for Advanced Imaging Technique
Oct 16, 2025 / Carl A. Williams / ATAP News - Measurement of directional muon beams generated at the Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator
October 8, 2025 / Physical Review Accelerators and Beams
Authors: Davide Terzani, Stanimir Kisyov, Stephen Greenberg, Luc Le Pottier, Maria Mironova, Alex Picksley, Joshua Stackhouse, Hai-En Tsai, Raymond Li, Ela Rockafellow, Bo Miao, Jaron E. Shrock, Timon Heim, Maurice Garcia-Sciveres, Carlo Benedetti, John Valentine, Howard M. Milchberg, Kei Nakamura, Anthony J. Gonsalves, Jeroen van Tilborg, Carl B. Schroeder, Eric Esarey, and Cameron G. R. Geddes
