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A network in X-ray lasers

Objective

The research under this network is contributing to the development of increased coherent power in X-ray lasers, the development of shorter wavelength lasers, to obtaining greater understanding of the mechanisms producing X-ray lasing and to better characterization of X-ray laser outputs. Various high power optical lasers associated with members of the network are used to pump X-ray lasers by producing line plasmas with lasing occurring along the length. Collisional pumping mechanisms are being studied to obtain optimum pumping conditions for neon- and nickel-like ions of different atomic number and to maximize the coherent output power. Multilayer mirrors are used to produce half-cavities and to diagnose the X-ray laser beams.

Recombination lasers produced from low mass targets (fibres and gas jets) using short and ultra-short pumping laser pulses (< 2 ps) are being investigated. Photo-pumped lasing is being studied by searching for coincident line pairs and by investigating X-rays produced by ultra-short laser pulses.
Research has been undertaken in the development of increased coherent power in X-ray lasers, the development of shorter wavelength lasers, to obtain greater understanding of the mechanisms producing X-ray lasing and to better characterization of X-ray laser outputs. Various high power optical lasers are used to pump X-ray lasers by producing line plasmas with lasing occurring along the length. Collisional pumping mechanisms are being studied to obtain optimum pumping conditions for neon and nickel like ions of different atomic number and to maximize the coherent output power. Multilayer mirrors are used to produce half cavities and to diagnose the X-ray laser beams. Recombination lasers produced from low mass targets (fibres and gas jets) using short and ultrashort pumping laser pulses (less than 2 ps) are being investigated. Photopumped lasing is being studied by searching for coincident line pairs and by investigating X-rays produced by ultrashort laser pulses. Two breakthroughs in recombination laser research have occurred. Convincing evidence for recombination pumping from gas jet targets on NV 3d-5f has been demonstrated for a 100 fentosecond titanium: sapphire laser. Gain length products of 6 to 7 on CVI n = 3-2 from carbon fibre targets irradiated by 40 joule, 2 ps driving laser pulses have been measured. The former result shows that optical field ionization can produce short wavelength lasing and the latter results mean that saturation of a recombination laser could be produced with only twice the target length already employed. It has been shown that there is no preferred polarization in the output of the neon like germanium laser at 23 nm, but that an injected beam polarized using multilayers when amplified has the polarization preserved. Simulations of collisionally excited neon like zinc X-ray laser output agree with other experiments, where interestingly the lower wavelength J = O - 1 line is more intense.

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Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

University of Essex
Address
Wivenhoe park
CO4 3SQ Colchester
United Kingdom

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Last update: 7 October 1998

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/CHRX920015

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