Observation of subpicosecond x-ray emission from laser-cluster interaction

We present the first experimental evidence of the subpicosecond duration of x-ray pulses emitted from laser-irradiated clusters, demonstrating the suitability of such a debris free target for ultrafast x-ray science applications. The K-shell emission (approximately 3 keV) from large Ar clusters (6 x 10(5) to 4 x 10(6) atoms) is time resolved, when irradiated by ultrashort (40 fs to 5 ps) and intense laser pulses (10(15-17) W/cm2). The observations are supported by hydrodynamical and collisional-radiative calculations, that reproduce the extremely short x-ray pulse duration.     

High-average-power 2-kHz laser for generation of ultrashort x-ray pulses

We describe a Ti:sapphire-based laser-x-ray system specifically designed for generation of ultrafast x-ray pulses in the tenths-of-nanometers spectral range at a 2-kHz repetition rate. To obtain high-contrast laser pulses we divide the laser system into a section for generation of microjoule, high-contrast pulses with pulse cleaning and a subsequent section for chirped-pulse amplification and pulse compression. This laser section operates in conjunction with an x-ray-generation section based on a moving copper wire in a He atmosphere. The high reliability of the entire system permits maintenance-free production of x-ray pulses over tens of hours. Average x-ray fluxes of 10(13) photons/(s 4pi sr 1 keV) at 3 keV and 10(9) photons/(s 4pi sr) above 5 keV of photon energy are produced.     

Generation of suprathermal electrons during magnetic reconnection at the sawtooth crash and disruption instability in the T-10 tokamak

Evidence for excitation of suprathermal electrons ( E(gamma) approximately 20-100 keV) during magnetic reconnection in the T-10 tokamak is presented through analysis of the x-ray measurements with enhanced spatial and time resolution. A toroidally viewing x-ray imaging system and a fast hard x-ray detector placed inside the tokamak vessel allow identification of bursts of the nonthermal x-ray radiation around X points of the m = 1 and m = 2 magnetic islands during the sawtooth crash and prior to the energy quench at the density limit disruption.     

Compact soft x-ray microscope using a gas-discharge light source

We report on a soft x-ray microscope using a gas-discharge plasma with pseudo spark-like electrode geometry as a light source. The source produces a radiant intensity of 4 x 10(13) photons/(sr pulse) for the 2.88 nm emission line of helium-like nitrogen. At a demonstrated 1 kHz repetition rate a brilliance of 4.3 x 10(9) photons/(microm2 sr s) is obtained for the 2.88 nm line. Ray-tracing simulations show that, employing an adequate grazing incidence collector, a photon flux of 1 x 10(7) photons/(microm2 s) can be achieved with the current source. The applicability of the presented pinch plasma concept to soft x-ray microscopy is demonstrated in a proof-of-principle experiment.     

Enhancement of double auger decay probability in xenon clusters irradiated with a soft-x-ray laser pulse

The interaction of large Xe clusters with a soft x-ray laser pulse having a wavelength of 13.9 nm and an intensity of up to 2x10(10) W/cm2 was investigated using a time-of-flight ion mass spectrometer. The corresponding laser photon energy was sufficiently high to photoionize Xe 4d innershell electrons. It was found that Xe3+ ions (which result from double Auger decay of 4d vacancies) became the dominant final ionic product with increasing cluster size and x-ray intensity. This is in contrast to the results of synchrotron radiation experiments involving free Xe atoms, in which Xe2+ is the dominant resultant ion species. Possible mechanisms responsible for the enhancement of the double Auger transition probability in x-ray laser and cluster interaction are discussed.     

K<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">α</Emphasis></Subscript> x-ray emission characterization of 100 Hz, 15 mJ femtosecond laser system with high contrast ratio

We report K _α x-ray production with a high energy (110 mJ per pulse at 800 nm before compression/15 mJ at 400 nm after compression), high repetition rate (100 Hz), and high pulse contrast (better than 10⁻⁹ at 400 nm) laser system. To develop laser-based x-ray sources for biomedical imaging requires to use high-energy and high-power ultrafast laser system where compression is achieved under vacuum. Using this type of laser system, we demonstrate long-term stability of the x-ray yield, conversion efficiency higher than 1.5×10⁻⁵ with a Mo target, and the x-ray spot size close to the optical focal spot. This high-repetition K _α x-ray source can be very useful for x-ray phase-contrast imaging. S. Fourmaux and C. Serbanescu contributed equally to this work.     

X-ray generation in low-voltage vacuum discharges

The dynamics of x-ray emission from a low-voltage laser-induced discharge was studied with the aid of a picosecond x-ray streak camera. Directed x-ray emission in the spectral range from 100 eV to 10 keV in the form of point sources and thin layers with lifetimes ranging from 30 ps to 1 ns was observed in a low-voltage vacuum discharge (U=150 V) initiated by a picosecond laser beam. X-ray emission from a discharge was detected with a time delay (1–20 ns) relative to ignition by the laser beam in order to prevent the radiation of the laser plasma from entering the detector. Detection of directed x-ray emission in a low-voltage vacuum discharge is demonstrated. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 9, 622–627 (10 May 1998)     

Total quantum-current yield in the soft x-ray region

The emission of slow secondary electrons excited in efficient photocathodes by fast internal x-ray electrons upon absorption of x-ray photons having energies in the range 1–10 keV is analyzed. Analytical expressions are derived for the quantum current yield of the x-ray photoelectric effect for a “point” model and a “non-point” model of energy exchange of fast internal x-ray electrons. We present some estimates for its parameters in a CsI photocathode. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1042–1046 (June 1998)     

Explosions of xenon clusters in ultraintense femtosecond x-ray pulses from the LCLS free electron laser

Explosions of large Xe clusters ( ~ 11,000) irradiated by femtosecond pulses of 850 eV x-ray photons focused to an intensity of up to 10(17) W/cm(2) from the Linac Coherent Light Source were investigated experimentally. Measurements of ion charge-state distributions and energy spectra exhibit strong evidence for the formation of a Xe nanoplasma in the intense x-ray pulse. This x-ray produced Xe nanoplasma is accompanied by a three-body recombination and hydrodynamic expansion. These experimental results appear to be consistent with a model in which a spherically exploding nanoplasma is formed inside the Xe cluster and where the plasma temperature is determined by photoionization heating.     

Single-pulse coherent diffraction imaging using soft x-ray laser

We report a coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) using a single 8 ps soft x-ray laser pulse at a wavelength of 13.9 nm. The soft x-ray pulse was generated by a laboratory-scale intense pumping laser providing coherent x-ray pulses up to the level of 10(11) photons/pulse. A spatial resolution below 194 nm was achieved with a single pulse, and it was shown that a resolution below 55 nm is feasible with improved detector capability. The single-pulse CDI might provide a way to investigate dynamics of nanoscale molecules or particles.     

1 kHz tabletop ultrashort hard x-ray source for time-resolved x-ray protein crystallography

We describe a compact, reliable, and high-average-power femtosecond x-ray source and its first application to diffraction on protein crystal. The setup relies on a homemade Ti: sapphire system delivering 12 mJ at a 1 kHz repetition rate, associated with a small vacuum chamber especially designed for laser-plasma interaction and x-ray applications. This device allows the generation of 5 x 10(9) photons/s/sr at 8 keV and optimized x-ray irradiation of the studied sample, which can be placed close to the source. We present the diffraction pattern of a protein crystal in a divergent beam geometry, which is a first step to a subpicosecond x-ray diffraction experiment.     

Studies of plastic-ablator compressibility for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion on OMEGA

The compression of planar plastic targets was studied with x-ray radiography in the range of laser intensities of I approximately 0.5 to 1.5x10(15) W/cm2 using square (low-compression) and shaped (high-compression) pulses. Two-dimensional simulations with the radiative hydrocode DRACO show good agreement with measurements at laser intensities up to I approximately 10(15) W/cm2. These results provide the first experimental evidence for low-entropy, adiabatic compression of plastic shells in the laser intensity regime relevant to direct-drive inertial confinement fusion. A density reduction near the end of the drive at a high intensity of I approximately 1.5x10(15) W/cm2 has been correlated with the hard x-ray signal caused by hot electrons from two-plasmon-decay instability.     

Search for x-ray induced acceleration of the decay of the 31-yr isomer of (178)Hf using synchrotron radiation

Enhanced decay of the 31-yr isomer of (178)Hf induced by x-ray irradiation has been reported previously. Here we describe an attempt to reproduce this result with an intense "white" x-ray beam from the Advanced Photon Source. No induced decay was observed. The upper limits for the energy-integrated cross sections for such a process, over the range of energies of 20--60 keV x rays, are less than 2 x 10(-27) cm(2) keV, below the previously reported values by more than 5 orders of magnitude; at 8 keV the limit is 5 x 10(-26) cm(2) keV.     

Grating-assisted phase matching in extreme nonlinear optics

We propose a new technique for phase matching high harmonic generation that can be used for generating bright, tabletop, tunable, and coherent x-ray sources at keV photon energies. A weak quasi-cw counterpropagating field induces a sinusoidal modulation in the phase of the emitted harmonics that can be used for correcting the large plasma-induced phase mismatch. We develop an analytical model that describes this grating-assisted x-ray phase matching and predicts that very modest intensities (<10(10) W/cm2) of quasi-cw counterpropagating fields are required for implementation.     

Detecting solar axions using Earth's magnetic field

We show that solar axion conversion to photons in the Earth's magnetosphere can produce an x-ray flux, with average energy omega approximately 4 keV, which is measurable on the dark side of the Earth. The smallness of the Earth's magnetic field is compensated by a large magnetized volume. For axion masses m(a) less, similar10(-4) eV, a low-Earth-orbit x-ray detector with an effective area of 10(4) cm(2), pointed at the solar core, can probe the photon-axion coupling down to 10(-11) GeV-1, in 1 yr. Thus, the sensitivity of this new approach will be an order of magnitude beyond current laboratory limits.     

Dramatic enhancement of optical-field-ionization collisional-excitation x-ray lasing by an optically preformed plasma waveguide

Dramatic enhancement of optical-field-ionization collisional-excitation x-ray lasing is achieved by using an optically preformed plasma waveguide. With a 9-mm-long pure krypton plasma waveguide prepared by using the axicon-ignitor-heater scheme, lasing at 32.8 nm is enhanced by 400 folds relative to the case without the plasma waveguide. An output level of 8 x 10(10) photon/shot is reached at an energy conversion efficiency of 2 x 10(-6). The same method is used to achieve x-ray lasing in a gas jet for the high-threshold low-gain transition at 46.9 nm in neonlike argon.     

等离子体中X射线透过率分析及潜在通信应用研究

X射线具有波长短、光子能量高等特点,有望在等离子体环境中实现信息的有效传输.本文首先采用基于连续介质中的WKB分层法,研究了黑障条件下, X射线在非均匀等离子体鞘套中的透过率特性,仿真了不同等离子体电子密度和碰撞频率下X射线信号的透过率,理论上证明了X射线可用于黑障区信息传输的可行性.其次通过搭建环形扩散辉光放电等离子体发生器及实验验证系统,进行了国内外首次X射线穿过等离子体鞘套的验证实验.实验结果表明,等离子体对X射线信号的透过率存在一定程度的衰减,透过等离子体前后的X射线信号能谱轮廓相似度优于95.5%,能谱峰值点的偏移量小于1.3%.此外,在原有理论模型的基础上,考虑等离子中的粒子与X射线的碰撞、吸收效应,优化了X射线在等离子体中的透过率模型,与传统的理论方法相比,该模型可对实验现象进行更好的解释.同时计算了X射线在临近空间的透过率,并分析了X射线通信所能达到的潜在指标.这些结果有望为解决黑障区信号传输提供一定的理论与实验依据.     

Testing QED screening and two-loop contributions with He-Like ions

We report wavelength measurements of H-like and He-like ions obtained with a novel x-ray spectrometer at the Heidelberg Electron Beam Ion Trap. The experimental uncertainty for the Lyman-alpha1 wavelength in Cl16+ is reduced by a factor of 3 and, as expected, excellent agreement with theory is maintained. For the resonance line in He-like Ar16+, an uncertainty of only deltalambda/lambda=2x10(-6) was achieved. This is the most precise x-ray wavelength reported for highly charged ions to date, and allows to test recent predictions on QED two-electron and two-photon radiative corrections for He-like ions. The results also point to the advantages of establishing absolute x-ray wavelength standards using Lyman-alpha transitions (in the present case Ar17+ Lyman-alpha1) to supersede the current ones.     

Scaling of x-ray emission and ion velocity in laser produced Cu plasmas

The x-ray emission from slab targets of copper irradiated by Nd:glass laser (1.054 μm, 5 and 15 ns) at intensities between 10¹² and 10¹¹W/cm² has been studied. The x-ray emissions were monitored with the help of high quantum efficiency x-ray silicon photo diodes and vacuum photo diodes, all covered with aluminium filters of different thickness. The x-ray intensity vs the laser intensity has a scaling factor of (1.2–1.92). The relative x-ray conversion efficiency follows an empirical relationship which is in close agreement with the one reported by Babonneau et al. The ion velocities were monitored using Langmuir probes placed at different angles and radial distances from the target position. The variation of the ion velocity with the laser intensity follows a scaling of the form Φ ^β where β ∼0.22 which is in good agreement with the reported scaling factor values. The results on the x-ray emission from Cu plasma are reported.     

X-ray microprobe of orbital alignment in strong-field ionized atoms

We have developed a synchrotron-based, time-resolved x-ray microprobe to investigate optical strong-field processes at intermediate intensities (10(14) - 10(15) W/cm2). This quantum-state specific probe has enabled the direct observation of orbital alignment in the residual ion produced by strong-field ionization of krypton atoms via resonant, polarized x-ray absorption. We found strong alignment to persist for a period long compared to the spin-orbit coupling time scale (6.2 fs). The observed degree of alignment can be explained by models that incorporate spin-orbit coupling. The methodology is applicable to a wide range of problems.