Abstract
We describe a design for producing a soft x-ray laser via transitions in Ne-like selenium (wavelength of about 200 Å). A 0.53-μ m laser, focused in a 1.2×0.02-cm spot to ∼ 5× W/, heats and burns through a thin foil of Se. Besides ionizing the Se to a Ne-like state, the laser explodes the foil, creating a region of uniform electron density. This allows propagation of the x rays down the 1-cm-long gain direction without debilitating refraction. Gains of 4 to 10 are predicted for various transitions.
- Received 26 October 1984
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.54.106
©1985 American Physical Society