Development of a sodium-pump/neon-lasant photopumped soft X-ray laser

Journal Article · Sat Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/27.8953· OSTI ID:6474397

Stephanakis, S J; Apruzese, J P; Burkhalter, P G; Cooperstein, G; Davis, J; Mosher, D; Ottinger, P F; Scherrer, V E; Thornhill, J W; Young, F C ^[1]; Hinshelwood, D D ^[2]; Mehlman, G ^[3]

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1. Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (US)
2. JAYCOR, Vienna, VA (US)
3. Sachs-Freeman Associates, Inc., Landover, MD (US)

Resonant photopumping of heliumlike neon by heliumlike sodium is investigated to extend this potentially efficient technique for inversion and lasing to shorter wavelengths. Properties of the sodium-pump plasma and the neon-lasant plasma required to optimize fluorescence and lasing are determined. The implosion of a sodium-bearing plasma with a megampere pulsed-power driver (Gamble II) is used to produce a linear Z-pinch with up to 25 GW of sodium-pump-line radiation. A separate neon plasma, driven by part of the return current form the imploding sodium plasma, is created parallel to the sodium line source at a distance of 5 cm. Implosion requirements for the neon plasma and its dynamics in the Gamble II return-current geometry are described. Evidence for population inversion is indicated by fluorescence enhancement of the 11-A resonance line from the n = 4 level of neon when pumped by sodium. The neon spectra are in qualitative agreement with calculations based on the sodium-pump power. Improvements in the experiment required to achieve lasing are discussed.

• OSTI ID: 6474397
• Journal Information: IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.; (United States), Journal Name: IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.; (United States) Vol. 16:5; ISSN ITPSB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300* -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
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Heating
& Production
ALKALI METALS
DESIGN
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
FLUORESCENCE
GASES
IMPLOSIONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LASER IMPLOSIONS
LASER-PRODUCED PLASMA
LASERS
LUMINESCENCE
METALS
NEON
NONMETALS
OPTICAL PUMPING
PLASMA
PLASMA PRODUCTION
PUMPING
RADIATIONS
RARE GASES
SODIUM
SOFT X RADIATION
WAVELENGTHS
X RADIATION
X-RAY LASERS