Characterization of collisionally pumped optical-field-ionization soft X-ray lasers

We give an overview of recent experimental results on optical-field-ionization collisional soft X-ray lasers developed at LOA. By focusing a 30-fs, circularly polarized Ti-sapphire laser pulse at an intensity of up to 8×10¹⁷ Wcm^-2 into a low-density gas cell containing Xe or Kr, we produced a few mm long plasma column for soft X-ray amplifier. Saturated amplification has been achieved on the 4d⁹5d(¹S₀)–4d⁹5p(¹P₁) transition at 41.8 nm in Xe⁸⁺, and on the 3d⁹4d(¹S₀)–3d⁹4p(¹P₁) transition in Kr⁸⁺ at 32.8 nm. Under optimum pumping conditions the Xe⁸⁺ laser provides about (5±2)×10⁹ photons per pulse whilst the Kr⁸⁺ laser delivers up to (2.5±1)×10⁹ photons per shot. The repetition rate of these soft X-ray lasers is 10 Hz. The beam wavefront of the Xe⁸⁺ laser has been measured by a Shack–Hartmann soft X-ray wavefront sensor, and the pulse duration by a cross-correlation technique. PACS 42.55.Vc; 32.30.Rj; 52.50.Jm