Observation of spontaneous emitted X-ray betatron radiation in beam-plasma interactions

An experiment is being carried out at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) to see if an ion channel can wiggle a beam of ultra-relativistic electrons to produce X-ray radiation. The goal is to create an intense source of undulator radiation using a plasma wiggler in the 1-10 keV range and also to determine the suitability of such an electrostatic wiggler to create a coherent beam of X-rays via the ion channel laser mechanisml. Here we give some of the scaling laws for the power and frequency distribution of the spontaneous emission from sending an electron beam through such an ion channel. Some initial experimental observations are also presented.