An Improved Double-Pulse Non-Normal Incidence Pumping Geometry for Transient Collisionally Excited Soft X-Ray Lasers
An optimized pumping geometry for transient collisionally excited soft X-ray lasers is presented, similar to the geometry proposed by [1]. In contrast to usual approaches, where a nanosecond pre-pulse is assumed to provide the optimal plasma preparation and a picosecond pulse performs the final heating- and excitation process, two pulses of equal duration in the range around 10 picoseconds are applied. Both pulses are produced in the front end of the CPA pump laser. They are focused onto the target with the same spherical mirror under non-normal incidence geometry, optimized for efficient traveling wave excitation for the main-pulse. A first experiment was performed on Ni-like palladium (14…
Spatially resolved nanostructural transformation in graphite under femtosecond laser irradiation
Abstract A polycrystalline graphite target was irradiated using infrared (800 nm) femtosecond (120 fs) laser pulses of different energies. Increase of sp 3 bonds percentage and possible diamond crystal formation were investigated ‘in-depth’ and on the irradiated surfaces. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction pattern have shown the presence of a diamond peak in one of the irradiated zones while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy investigations have shown an increasing tendency of the sp 3 percent in the low power irradiated areas and similarly ‘in the depth’ of the higher power irradiated zones. Multiple wavelength Micro-Raman investigations have confirmed this trend along with an ‘in-depth’ (but not…
Transient collisionally excited X-ray laser in nickel-like zirconium pumped with the PHELIX laser facility
A transient collisionally excited X-ray laser has been put into operation using the front end of the PHELIX laser system as a pump laser. Strong lasing at 22 nm has been observed in nickel-like zirconium.
Laser irradiation of carbon–tungsten materials
Carbon–tungsten layers deposited on graphite by thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) were directly irradiated with a femtosecond terawatt laser. The morphological and structural changes produced in the irradiated area by different numbers of pulses were systematically explored, both along the spots and in their depths. Although micro-Raman and Synchrotron-x-ray diffraction investigations have shown no carbide formation, they have shown the unexpected presence of embedded nano-diamonds in the areas irradiated with high fluencies. Scanning electron microscopy images show a cumulative effect of the laser pulses on the morphology through the ablation process. The micro-Raman spatial mapping signalled an…
Focusing System for a Non-Normal Incidence Pumped, Sub-10 nm TCE XRL
An extended ray-tracing study of the main pumping pulse (MP) focusing optics was made in order to develop a transient collisionally excited (TCE) x-ray laser (XRL) set-up for sub 10 nm wavelength by using non-normal incidence pumping. The study takes into account limitations determined by the large beam dimensions of the high energy MP. A setup using two off-the-shelf spherical mirrors is proposed, corresponding to a possible realization at the PHELIX laser facility.
Laser XUV haute cadence pompé par laser Titane : Saphir, vers la station LASERIX
Nous presentons des resultats recents de laser X collisionnel transitoire pompe en incidence rasante a haut taux de repetition. Ils ont ete obtenus a partir du laser de pompe Titane:Saphir 30 TW disponible sur l'installation europeenne du LLC a Lund (Suede). Nous avons demontre lors de cette experience qu'il etait possible d'obtenir en routine pres de 3 microjoule par impulsion a 18,9nm avec seulement J d'energie de pompe infrarouge. Nous avons plus particulierement etudie l'influence de l'angle de rasance sur cible de l'impulsion laser qui vient pomper le plasma, quelques centaines de picosecondes apres la premiere impulsion responsable de sa creation. Un systeme d'imagerie XUV a haute res…
X-ray imaging of the heating zone of non-normal incidence pumped XRL plasma
Soft x-ray emission, above 600 eV, from a grazing incidence pumped Ni-like Mo x-ray laser (GRIP-XRL) [1] plasma was investigated. Using a pinhole camera looking along the target surface, perpendicular to the direction of the XRL emission, spatially-resolved information was obtained with a resolution which was limited only by the pinhole size of 10 μm. The relative distance from the target surface to the plasma zone heated by th e picosecond pulse was investigated for different GRIP angles, energy ratios and delays between the plasma producing and the plasma heating pulses.
<title>New PW stretcher-compressor design for PHELIX laser</title>
With PHELIX (Petawatt High Energy Laser for heavy Ion EXperiments) a high energy/ultra-high intensity laser system is currently under construction at the GSI (Gesellschaft fur SchwerIonenforschung, Germany). In combination with the high current high energy ion accelerator facility this will provide worldwide unique experimental opportunities in the field of dense plasma physics and inertial fusion research. In the long pulse mode the laser system will provide laser pulses of up to 5 kJ in 1-10 ns pulses. In the high intensity mode pulse powers in excess of 1 PW will be achieved. For this the well known technique of chirped pulse amplification (CPA) will be implemented. A new CPA stretcher-c…
A Non-Normal Incidence Pumped Ni-Like Zr XRL for Spectroscopy of Li-Like Heavy Ions at GSI/FAIR
One of the unique features of the PHELIX laser installation is the combination of the ultra-high intensity laser with the heavy-ion accelerator facility at GSI and its planned extension FAIR. Due to this combination, PHELIX will allow novel investigations in the fields of plasma physics, atomic physics, nuclear physics, and accelerator studies. An important issue within the scientific program is the generation of high quality x-ray laser beams for x-ray laser spectroscopy of highly-charged ions. The long range perspective is the study of nuclear properties of radioactive isotopes within the FAIR [1] project. A novel single mirror focusing scheme for the TCE XRL has been successfully impleme…