DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPACT, INEXPENSIVE X-RAY LASER DRIVER

THE PHYSICALLY LARGE DRIVERS CURRENTLY USED TO DEMONSTRATE AMPLIFIED SPONTANEOUS EMISSION (ASE) IN THE SOFT X-RAY REGION MAKE THEIR USE AS LABORATORY X-RAY LASERS IMPRACTICAL. A CAPILLARY DISCHARGE OR SLIDING SPARK DEVICE PROVIDES AN ALTERNATE WAY TO ACHIEVE THE PLASMA CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR SOFT X-RAY ASE IN ELEMENTS SUCH AS ARGON AND KRYPTON. CAPILLARY DISCHARGES RESULT IN REPRODUCIBLE, STABLE, DIMENSIONALLY CORRECT PLASMAS, AND THEIR HIGH EFFICIENCY MAKES THE PRODUCTION OF A COMPACT X-RAY LASER FEASIBLE. IN THIS PHASE OF THE RESEARCH THE RESEARCHERS PROPOSE TO COMPUTATIONALLY MODEL AND TO DESIGN A CAPILLARY DISCHARGE DEVICE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING THE NECESSARY PLASMA CONDITIONS TO DEMONSTRATE ASE IN ARGON AT A WAVELENGTH OF ABOUT 700 ANGSTROMS. FUTURE PHASES OF THE RESEARCH WILL INVOLVE THE DEVELOPMENT AND DIAGNOSIS OF THE EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS NECESSARY TO DEMONSTRATE ASE IN ARGON. THE SCALING AND MODIFICATION OF THAT APPARATUS TO DEMONSTRATE ASE AT SHORTED WAVELENGTHS USING HIGHER-Z MATERIALS WILL ALSO BE INVESTIGATED. FUTURE WORK WOULD ALSO INVOLVE THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROBUST MULTILAYER CAVITY MIRRORS FOR SHORTER WAVELENGTHS TO INCREASE THE OVERALL INTENSITY OF SOFT X-RAY LASERS.