Investigation of soft X-ray emission from a gas puff target irradiated with a Nd:YAG laser

• Published in: Optics communications 1999-05, Vol.163 (1), p.103-114
• Main Authors: Fiedorowicz, Henryk, Bartnik, Andrzej, Szczurek, Mirosław, Daido, Hiroyuki, Sakaya, Noriyuki, Kmetik, Viliam, Kato, Yoshiaki, Suzuki, Masayuki, Matsumura, Masai, Tajima, Junichi, Nakayama, Takeyoshi, Wilhein, Thomas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical applications; Electromagnetism; electron and ion optics; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Gas puff target; Laser applications; Laser-produced plasma; Optics; Physics; Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges; Physics of plasmas and electric discharges; Plasma production and heating; Plasma production and heating by laser beams; X-ray beams and x-ray optics; X-ray optics
• ISSN: 0030-4018; 1873-0310
• DOI: 10.1016/S0030-4018(99)00100-5

Experiments investigating soft X-ray emission in the 1–22 nm wavelength range from plasmas produced using a gas puff target irradiated with a Nd:YAG laser are described. Gas puff targets were created by pulsed injection of high-density gas through a nozzle. The use of the gas puff targets eliminates the production of debris associated with solid targets. Laser pulses of either 0.9 ns or 10 ns time duration with energies up to 0.7 J were used to produce plasmas. X-ray emissions from laser-produced gas puff plasmas were characterized for various gases. The spectral measurements of the soft X-ray emission were performed with the use of grating spectrographs equipped with the back-illuminated CCD camera. The source size was measured using the Fresnel zone plate imaging system and the grating spectrograph equipped with a slit placed perpendicularly to the dispersion direction. The obtained results would allow to develop an efficient and debrisless laser-produced X-ray source to be useful for applications in various fields.