Laser-driven electron source suitable for single-shot Gy-scale irradiation of biological cells at dose-rates exceeding ${10}^{10}$ Gy/s

We report on the first systematic characterisation of a tuneable laser-driven electron source capable of delivering Gy-scale doses in a duration of 10 - 20 ps, thus reaching unprecedented dose rates in the range of ${10}^{10}-{10}^{12}$ Gy/s. Detailed characterisation of the source indicates, in agreement with Monte-Carlo simulations, single-shot delivery of multi-Gy doses per pulse over cm-scale areas, with a high degree of spatial uniformity. The results reported here confirm that a laser-driven source of this kind can be used for systematic studies of the response of biological cells to picosecond-scale radiation at ultra-high dose rates.