Compact gain-saturated x-ray lasers down to 6.85 nm and amplification down to 5.85 nm
Date
2018-03-02
Authors
Rockwood, Alex, author
Wang, Yong, author
Wang, Shoujun, author
Berrill, Mark, author
Shlyaptsev, Vyacheslav N., author
Rocca, Jorge J., author
Optical Society of America, publisher
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Abstract
Plasma-based x-ray lasers allow single-shot nano-scale imaging and other experiments requiring a large number of photons per pulse to be conducted in compact facilities. However, compact repetitively fired gain-saturated x-ray lasers have been limited to wavelengths above λ = 8.85 nm. Here we extend their range to λ = 6.85 nm by transient traveling wave excitation of Ni-like Gd ions in a plasma created with an optimized pre-pulse followed by rapid heating with an intense sub-picosecond pump pulse. Isoelectronic scaling also produced strong lasing at 6.67 nm and 6.11 nm in Ni-like Tb and amplification at 6.41 nm and 5.85 nm in Ni-like Dy. This scaling to shorter wavelengths was obtained by progressively increasing the pump pulse grazing incidence angle to access increased plasma densities. We experimentally demonstrate that the optimum grazing incidence angle increases linearly with atomic number from 17 deg for Z = 42 (Mo) to 43 deg for Z = 66 (Dy). The results will enable applications of sub-7 nm lasers at compact facilities.
Description
Rights Access
Subject
x-rays
coherence
amplification
recovery
gain
amplifiers
molybdenum
lasers
lasers, optics, and electronics (so)
photonics (general) (ea)