Measurement of focal spot size in a 5.5 MeV linac

High energy X-ray beams allow to perform analysis on different materials and objects of relevant interest that cannot be investigated with conventional X-ray sources. A 5.5 MeV endpoint energy bremsstrahlung source has been characterized by evaluating the size of X-ray emitting area. In order to perform a proper characterization, an ‘ad hoc’ slit-camera has been designed and a specific technique has been adopted. Due to the characteristics of the beam, a highly attenuating slit with variable aperture has been designed using Monte Carlo simulations of the X-ray beam and set up. Since the slit camera is far from the ideal model (negligible X-ray transmission and very thin aperture), a whole set of image profiles of the slit at different width sizes have been acquired and analyzed. Imaging correction procedures and data fitting lead to satisfactory experimental results according to the theoretical model.