Population inversion in the recombination of optically-ionized plasmas

Journal Article · Mon Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/3.60904· OSTI ID:5883377

Burnett, N H; Enright, G D ^[1]

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1. Div. of Physics, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa K1A 0R6, Ontario (CA)

The authors examine the possibility of using a high-intensity optical field in conjunction with a gas target to produce a highly-ionized plasma filament suitable for recombination XUV lasers in both transient and quasi-steady-state regimes. A distinction is made between flow Z ions which can be stripped to the desired ionization state at nonrelativistic intensities and higher Z ions which require relativistic intensities to produce the desired ionization. In the nonrelativistic case (E{sub i} {lt} 500 eV), it is shown that electron thermal conduction is extremely effective in cooling {approx} 10 {mu}m diameter filaments imbedded in cold background plasma at densities required for quasi-steady-state gain on 4-3 and 3-2 transitions. These filaments can be cooled to the required temperatures with very little hydrodynamic motion and with little sensitivity to the initial temperature and typically reach small-signal gain much in excess of that usually predicted in expansion-cooled systems. In the relativistic case, self-focusing of the ionizing laser radiation may lead to very small diameter, electron-cavitated filaments.

• OSTI ID: 5883377
• Journal Information: IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (USA), Journal Name: IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (USA) Vol. 26:10; ISSN 0018-9197; ISSN IEJQA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
426002* -- Engineering-- Lasers & Masers-- (1990-)
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY RANGE
ENERGY TRANSFER
EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
FERMIONS
FLUIDS
GASES
HEAT TRANSFER
IONIZATION
LASERS
LEPTONS
PLASMA
POPULATION INVERSION
RADIATIONS
RECOMBINATION
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
SCALING LAWS
SPACE CHARGE
TARGETS
THERMAL CONDUCTION
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION