Nanotube design could shrink particle accelerators to hair-thin size

New research demonstrates that particle accelerators capable of producing intense, coherent X-rays—traditionally generated only by massive synchrotron facilities—could be miniaturized to fit on a table using carbon nanotubes combined with laser light. The key innovation involves exploiting surface plasmon polaritons, waves formed when laser light interacts with a material’s surface. Simulations showed that a circularly polarized laser pulse traveling through tiny hollow carbon nanotubes can trap and accelerate electrons in a synchronized spiral, producing coherent X-ray radiation amplified by up to 100 times. Carbon nanotubes, arranged in vertically aligned arrays called "forests," serve as ideal channels for this corkscrewing laser light, tolerating electric fields far stronger than conventional accelerators and enabling electric fields of several teravolts per meter—exceeding current technology limits. This advancement could democratize access to high-quality X-ray sources, currently limited to large national facilities with competitive access. Tabletop accelerators could enable hospitals, universities,