Investigation of gain and hyperfine splitting in the niobium X-ray laser

Neon-like niobium X-ray lasers have been studied using both slab and thin-foil target geometries. Niobium foils of various lengths were irradiated from both sides with two beams of the frequency-doubled Nova laser system using a line focus. We looked for gain by measuring spectrally integrated line intensities at different plasma lengths. Gain was observed in four neon-like niobium lines corresponding to 3s–3p transitions. The line profile of theJ = 0–1 line ( = 145.9 ) shows splitting due to the hyperfine effect. Improved contrast in the hyperfine structure is observed as the plasma length is increased. Hyperfine splitting may be relevant to other 3s–3p transitions in neon-like niobium as well as other neon-like X-ray laser systems.     

Local optical emission spectroscopy of excited species effused from an evaporation cell and a sputter source into dense plasmas – Basic studies for the deposition of thin gradient films

Space resolved optical emission spectroscopy has been applied to determine the distribution of excited species in dense plasmas which are used for the deposition of thin coatings. Typical electron densities and electron temperatures in the plasma facility PETRA ( Plasma Engineering and Technology Research Assembly) are in the range of n(e) = 10(12) cm(-3) and T(e) = 10 eV. During the deposition process material (Al) is evaporated from a vapour cell under controlled conditions. The vapour stream is guided into a dense plasma which is composed of inert gas, Ar or He, and hydrocarbon species produced from the dissociation of C(2)H(2). The evaporated Al-stream which travels with thermal velocity into a plasma of high electron density, is nearly completely ionized due to the short mean free path for electron impact ionization in the above mentioned parameter range. Optical emission spectroscopy has been applied to investigate the interaction processes between the vapour stream and the plasma as well as the transport of the ionized Al along the applied magnetic field. For the measurements space resolved optical emission spectroscopy with an in-situ translation mechanism of the optical fibre has been used to measure the local concentrations of excited Al neutrals and ions as well as the concentration of the background plasma species.