Divergence measurements of soft-x-ray laser beam

Demonstration of a collisionally excited optical-field-ionization XUV laser driven in a plasma waveguide

We describe the first demonstration of a collisionally excited optical-field-ionization laser driven within a waveguide. Lasing on the 4d(9)5d-4d(9)5p transition at 41.8 nm in Xe8+ was observed to be closely correlated to conditions under which the pump laser pulses were guided well by a gas-filled capillary discharge waveguide. Simulations of the propagation of the pump laser radiation show that gain was achieved over essentially the whole 30 mm length of the waveguide.

Generation of millijoule-level soft-x-ray laser pulses at a 4-Hz repetition rate in a highly saturated tabletop capillary discharge amplifier

Laser pulses with energies of as much as 1 mJ were generated at a wavelength of 46.9 nm by single-pass amplification in a 34.5 cm-long Ne-like Ar capillary discharge plasma. The large gain-length product of this plasma column allows for soft-x-ray amplification in a highly saturated regime, resulting in efficient energy extraction. Average laser output pulse energy of 0.88 mJ and peak power of 0.6 MW were obtained at a repetition rate of 4 Hz. With an estimated peak spectral brightness of approximately 1x10(23)photons /(s mm(2)mrad> (2)0.01% bandwidth) this tabletop laser is one of the brightest soft-x-ray sources to date.

Soft x-ray lasers and their applications

The emerging technology of soft x-ray lasers has novel applications to microscopy, lithography, and other fields. This article describes the status of soft x-ray laser research with the aim of bringing the rapid developments in this field to the attention of potential users in other disciplines. The different techniques for generating a population inversion and producing a soft x-ray laser are reviewed. The status of current research in the field and the near-term prospects are described. It is expected that the range of potential applications of soft x-ray lasers will increase as their performance improves. Work aimed at increasing the output power and progressing to shorter wavelengths with these devices is also reviewed.

Gain measurements at 18.22 nm in C VI generated by a Nd:glass laser

We present recent gain measurements in C VI at 18.22 nm for a soft-x-ray amplifier produced by a line-focused glass laser (1.053 microm) on a solid carbon target. The maximum gain measured was 8 +/- 2 cm(-1) in the recombining plasma column, with additional radiation cooling, with additional radiation cooling by iron impurities.