Nuclear photonics enabled by MeV laser-compton sources

MeV Laser-Compton sources are enabling the efficient pursuit of nuclear science and applications with photon beams, i.e. “nuclear photonics.” Potential applications include; isotope-specific nuclear materials management, element-specific medical radiography and radiology, non-destructive, isotope-specific, material assay and imaging, precision spectroscopy of nuclear structure and photon-induced fission. This paper reviews the design and optimization of MeV laser-Compton systems and the development of the unique science and applications enabled by them.