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Coherent short wavelength radiation via picosecond Nd:glass lasers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2002

H. KURODA
Affiliation:
Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8581, Japan
T. OZAKI
Affiliation:
Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8581, Japan
A. ISHIZAWA
Affiliation:
Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8581, Japan
T. KANAI
Affiliation:
Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8581, Japan
K. YAMAMOTO
Affiliation:
Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8581, Japan
R. LI
Affiliation:
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, P.O. Box 800-211, Shanghai 201800, P. R. China
J. ZHANG
Affiliation:
Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 603, Beijing 100080, China

Abstract

The generation of coherent soft X rays is studied using a terawatt picosecond Nd:glass laser system. Two different methods are investigated as candidates for efficient generation of such radiation, namely, longitudinally pumped transient collisional excitation nickel-like molybdenum X-ray laser, and high-harmonic generation from solid–vacuum interfaces. In the course of experiments on longitudinally pumped X-ray lasers, unexpected jetlike structures are observed in the visible emission of the molybdenum plasma, extending over a length of several millimeters. An interesting characteristic of this phenomena is that clear jets are observed only for longitudinal pump intensities between 5 × 1014 and 7 × 1014 W/cm2. The effects of a finite scale length density gradient on surface harmonics is also investigated. The efficiency of harmonic generation from near-solid density plasma is found to increase by a factor of 2 to 3 when using prepulses. The scale length of the preplasma is simulated using a one-dimensional hydrodynamic code, and the increase in efficiency is verified to be in accordance with particle-in-cell simulation results.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press

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