Compact high-brightness soft X-ray Cherenkov sources

Compact narrow-band high-brightness soft X-ray sources based on the Cherenkov effect are very promising. We discuss the theoretical basis for this novel electron-accelerator-based source. We present results of experiments, which confirm the theoretical expectations and demonstrate that intense narrow-band Cherenkov light can be produced at the silicon L-edge (99.7 eV) and, in the water window, at the titanium L-edge (453 eV) and the vanadium L-edge (512 eV). On the basis of theory and experiment, we show that a compact high-brightness Cherenkov source may be realized, which fulfills the requirements for practical soft X-ray microscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy.