C.G. Smith

Preliminary studies of radiation coupling between remote soft X-ray laser amplifiers

Coupling of a soft X-ray laser beam with a relaying concave mirror in a sequentially pumped amplifier geometry using the Ne-like Ge system has been studied experimentally. Preliminary observations indicate an increase in the spatial coherence of the amplified relayed beam. In addition, near-field imaging of one of the amplifier plasmas shows a double-lobed intensity pattern of the emergent beam indicating refractive guiding of the amplified beam with components both normal and tangential to the target surface.

A linearly polarized soft x‐ray laser

We report results of polarization experiments on the collisionally excited Ne‐like Ge soft x‐ray laser where we have used an injector‐amplifier multistage geometry. The polarization state of the x‐ray beam was analyzed by two crossed 45° angle of incidence multilayer mirrors which act as linear polarizers. Results were evaluated by comparing intensities of time‐integrated beam patterns behind each polarizer. The polarization state of the 23.2 and 23.6 nm ASE output of the injector plasma was systematically studied and, as expected, revealed no macroscopic degree of polarization observable within the precision of the experiment. When the injector output beam was linearly polarized and coupled into the amplifier plasma, the degree of polarization of the amplifier output was ∼0.98, the total gain‐length product attained for the polarized beam was ≊ 12 and the beam energy was ≊ 20 nJ.

Study of beam aberrations in a germanium XXIII XUV laser amplifier

Abstract A beam of amplified spontaneous emission at 23.2 23.6 nm from a GeXXIII XUV laser has been injected into a separate amplifier plasma and the astigmatic aberrations introduced by plasma density gradients in the amplifier have been estimated from analysis of images of the amplified beam.