We report advances in the development of a robust, laser-driven X-ray source. An ultrafast, high-average-power laser driver (1 kHz, 25 mJ, 1.5 ps) allows us to reach sufficient X-ray photon flux to demonstrate the source performance in a realistic imaging application by realizing a complete tomographic sequence in under-15min exposure time, edging toward clinical imaging relevance. This kind of compact, high-brilliance, hard X-ray source holds promise to unlock the development of practical phase-contrast medical imaging.
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