A High Efficiency Grazing Incidence Pumped X-ray Laser
The main objective of the project is to demonstrate a proof-of-principle, new type of high efficiency, short wavelength x-ray laser source that will operate at unprecedented high repetition rates (10Hz) that could be scaled to 1kHz or higher. The development of a high average power, tabletop x-ray laser would serve to complement the wavelength range of 3rd and future 4th generation light sources, e.g. the LCLS, being developed by DOE-Basic Energy Sciences. The latter are large, expensive, central, synchrotron-based facilities while the tabletop x-ray laser is compact, high-power laser-driven, and relatively inexpensive. The demonstration of such a unique, ultra-fast source would allow us to attract funding from DOE-BES, NSF and other agencies to pursue probing of diverse materials undergoing ultrafast changes. Secondly, this capability would have a profound impact on the semiconductor industry since a coherent x-ray laser source would be ideal for ''at wavelength'' {approx}13 nm metrology and microscopy of optics and masks used in EUV lithography. The project has major technical challenges. We will perform grazing-incidence pumped laser-plasma experiments in flat or groove targets which are required to improve the pumping efficiency by ten times. Plasma density characterization using our existing unique picosecond x-ray laser interferometry of laser-irradiated targets is necessary. Simulations of optical laser propagation as well as x-ray laser production and propagation through freely expanding and confined plasma geometries are essential. The research would be conducted using the Physics Directorate Callisto and COMET high power lasers. At the end of the project, we expect to have a high-efficiency x-ray laser scheme operating below 20 nm at 10Hz with a pulse duration of {approx}2 ps. This will represent the state-of-the-art in x-ray lasers and would be a major step forward from our present picosecond laser-driven x-ray lasers. There is an added bonus of creating the shortest wavelength laboratory x-ray laser, below 4.5 nm and operating in the water window, by using the high-energy capability of the Titan laser.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 900117
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-TR-224880; TRN: US0702211
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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