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Coherent x-rays via the Burst Intensification by Singularity Emitting Radiation (BISER) mechanism are generated from relativistic plasma in helium gas target. A broad modulation of the BISER spectrum, which is significantly wider than the harmonic order, is observed and characterized. In particular, we found that the modulation period can be as large as 41 eV.

Using QED PIC and hydrodynamic simulations, we optimize the -flare generation scheme from the high power laser interaction with tailored target showing the efficient conversion of the laser pulse energy to -photons.

Relativistic mirrors in laser plasmas offer a promising way for development of compact and tunable sources of coherent short-wavelength radiation. Here we investigate recoil effects on reflection of high-intensity laser pulses from such mirrors.

We have developed an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) laser irradiation system at QST. EUV laser has a wavelength of 13.9 nm, and this laser wavelength is close to the wavelength of EUV lithography (λ = 13.5 nm). The irradiation system has an intensity monitor based on the Mo/Si multilayer beam splitter. This intensity monitor provides the irradiation energy onto the sample surface. So it is possible to examine and confirm damage/ablation thresholds of optical elements and doses for the sensitivity of resist materials, which have the same specifications of those in the EUV lithography.

In order to realize a compact and high repetition rate plasma X-ray laser, we have developed a recombination scheme plasma X-ray laser. In particular, we focused on a laser oscillation of Li-like aluminum 3d-4f transition (15.5 nm), which was already demonstrated in a high-density and low-temperature Al laser plasma with a low gain coefficient. In this study, by using an Nd:YAG laser (500 ps, 3 J, 16 pulse-trains) we created the lasing media and succeeded in laser oscillation at 15.5 nm. The optimization of the pulse-train in terms of the pulse duration and its interval enhanced the gain coefficient to g = 4.3 cm−1.

Relativistic mirrors can be realized with strongly nonlinear Langmuir waves excited by intense laser pulses in underdense plasma. On reflection from the relativistic mirror the incident light affects the mirror motion. The corresponding recoil effects are investigated analytically and with particle-in-cell simulations. It is found that if the fluence of the incident electromagnetic wave exceeds a certain threshold, the relativistic mirror undergoes a significant back reaction and splits into multiple electron layers. The reflection coefficient of the relativistic mirror as well as the factors of electric field amplification and frequency upshift of the electromagnetic wave are obtained., 8 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Physics of Plasmas

Direct metrology of coherent short-wavelength beamlines is important for obtaining operational beam characteristics at the experimental site. However, since beam-time limitation imposes fast metrology procedures, a multi-parametric metrology from as low as a single shot is desirable. Here a two-dimensional (2D) procedure based on high-resolution Fresnel diffraction analysis is discussed and applied, which allowed an efficient and detailed beamline characterization at the SACLA XFEL. So far, the potential of Fresnel diffraction for beamline metrology has not been fully exploited because its high-frequency fringes could be only partly resolved with ordinary pixel-limited detectors. Using the high-spatial-frequency imaging capability of an irradiated LiF crystal, 2D information of the coherence degree, beam divergence and beam quality factor M 2 were retrieved from simple diffraction patterns. The developed beam metrology was validated with a laboratory reference laser, and then successfully applied at a beamline facility, in agreement with the source specifications.

The overview of the recent results for discovery and investigations of a very exotic phenomenon – optical mirage in the X-ray spectral range – is presented. It was found that the mirage could be created in the form of coherent virtual point source, emerging in the vicinity of the second plasma in two-stage oscillator-amplifier X-ray laser. The X-ray source-mirage, rigidly phased with the initial radiation of generator, occurs only when amplification takes place in the amplifier plasma and leads to the appearance of the interference pattern in the form of concentric rings in the spatial profile of the output X-ray laser beam. The equation describing the emergence of X-ray mirage was found, numerical solution of which shows that its formation is similar to that of the optical mirages observed at propagation of light rays through an inhomogeneously heated air. Obtained results have already demonstrated novel comprehension into the physical nature of amplification of X-ray radiation, opening additional opportunities for X-ray interferometry, holography, and other applications, which require multiple rigidly phased sources of coherent radiation.

We irradiated soft X-ray laser pulses onto aluminum film targets, which were evaporated on silicon and lithium fluoride substrates. After laser irradiation, we observed irradiated surfaces and confirmed damage with nanometer scale-modified structures. These damage structures were the same as those formed on the aluminum bulk surface. In this article, we discuss a possibility of the growth process of damage structures on the Al surface based on the experimental results.

A simplified flash-lamp pumped high-average-power Nd:YAG Q-switched laser system based on a master oscillator power amplifier platform was developed toward outside laser remote sensing. The performance of the laser system was demonstrated, obtaining 4.7 J output pulse energy with a 50 Hz operating frequency on the optical breadboard of 1.8 m x 0.7 m size. The pulse energy from master oscillator was approximately 250 mJ with 14 ns pulse duration that was amplified by first Nd:YAG rod crystals with double pass amplification. Then, output laser pulse from first YAG rod was amplified by second and third Nd:YAG rod crystals. The beam pattern was image relayed using lens pair between all Nd:YAG rods to maintain the good beam spatial profile in rod amplifiers to avoid the optical damages induced by non-uniform beam profile. The focal lengths of thermal lens effect in each Nd:YAG rod crystal was about 2 m that were compensated by an adjustment of lens pairs. The amplified pulse laser was focused using focusing lens pair on the concrete surface to generate panel vibrations by laser ablation and/or thermal stress, acting thus as a hammer. The focal length of lens pair was approximately 7 m that is assumed the typical a tunnel roof in Japan. The energy transfer efficiency from final amplifier to concrete surface was approximately 87%, its main reason of reduction of efficiency was beam quality of master oscillator. That efficiency was 89% with only oscillator beam.

We discuss the new regime of high-order harmonic generation by relativistic -irradiance multi-terawatt femtosecond lasers focused onto gas jet targets [PRL, 108, 135004, 2012; NJP, 16, 093003, 2014]. The laser induces multi-stream relativistic plasma flow resulting in the formation of density singularities: structurally stable, oscillating electron spikes coherently emitting high-frequency radiation. Here we analyse the dependence of the harmonic yield on the focal spot quality and derive the required laser parameters for efficient harmonics generation. We show the status of the J-KAREN-P laser [IEEE J. Sel. Topics Quantum Electron., 21, 1601118, 2015] and report on the progress towards satisfying these requirements.

High repetition rate and high pulse energy laser system as a pump source for Ti:sapphire laser used in laser-driven plasma soft X-ray laser system are required. We developed a new Nd:YAG laser system using master oscillator power amplifier platform. The maximum output energy as over 4 J was obtained at an operating frequency of 50 Hz with a negligible amplified spontaneous emission.

In the present report, we discussed our recent results concerning the investigations of high energy density matter. By using of high-resolution X-ray spectroscopic measurements and kinetic simulations, we demonstrate that the energy of femtosecond laser pulses is efficiently converted to X-ray radiation and produces exotic states in solid density plasma regions. It is shown that exotic hollow multicharged ions states can be obtained and studied not only by ultra-intense X-ray radiation of XFEL lasers, but also upon using optical laser technology. We have concluded that observable features of the hollow-ion spectra are sensitive to such plasma parameters as density, temperature, hot-electron fraction, and intensity of the X-ray pumping radiation and could be used for effective diagnostics of warm dense matter parameters.

This paper reviews recent progress made in the development of coherent x-ray sources and their applications in material science and laser processing in the National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (QST). The upgrade of Ti:Sapphire laser for a grazing incidence pumping (GRIP) scheme was started, to further develop a coherent x-ray source. Investigating the applications of x-ray lasers, we observed temporal evolution of metal surface ablation using an x-ray laser probe, and the damage to an EUV mirror structure by the x-ray pulse irradiation.

We modified a soft X-ray laser (SXRL) interferometer synchronized with a Ti:sapphire laser to observe a single-shot image of the nanoscale structure dynamics of materials induced by an optical laser pulse. The lateral resolution on the sample surface was improved to 0.7 μm using precise imaging optics. Using this system, we succeeded in observing thin film structures above the solid (or liquid) surface in the femtosecond laser ablation process of metals (Au). The thin film worked as soft X-ray beam splitter. This result shows a thin film was smooth and dense (with a roughness of a few nanometers and near sold density). Furthermore, it gave rise to the possibility of generating novel transient soft X-ray optics .

The irradiation damage for Mo/Si, Ru/Si, and Nb/Si multilayers are investigated using the soft X-ray laser system at QST. Scanning electronic microscopy observations reveal that the size of the damage on the Nb/Si multilayer is smaller than the other multilayers. This suggests that the damage fluence by the EUV irradiation of the Nb/Si multilayers is greater than the other multilayers.

While it has been expected that X-ray laser will be widely applied to biomedical studies, this has not been achieved to date and its biological effects such as DNA damage have not been evaluated. As a first step for its biological application, we developed a culture cell irradiation system, particularly designed for a plasma-driven soft X-ray laser pulse, to investigate whether the soft X-ray laser is able to induce DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) in living cells or not. The human adenocarcimona cell line A549 was irradiated with the soft X-ray laser at a photon energy of 89 eV and the repair focus formation of the DSBs was assessed by immunofluorescence staining with antiphosphorylated DNA-PKcs (p-DNA-PKcs), ATM (p-ATM) and γ-H2AX antibody. The p-DNA-PKcs, ATM, and γ-H2AX foci were clearly identified after soft X-ray laser irradiation. Furthermore, the increase in the X-ray laser shot number, even from a single shot, results in the increase in p-DNA-PKcs foci. These results are the first evidence that the 89 eV soft X-ray laser is able to induce DSB in living cells. Our study demonstrated that this irradiation system is a useful tool for investigating the radiobiological effect of soft X-ray laser.

Spatial structures of ablative mass flow produced by femtosecond laser pulses are studied. In experiments with a gold film, the Ti:sapp laser pulse having a focal size of 100 microns on a target was used, while a soft X-ray probe pulse was utilized for diagnostics. The experimental data are compared with simulated mass flows obtained by two-temperature hydrodynamics and molecular dynamics methods. Simulation shows evolution of a thin surface layer pressurized after electron–ion thermalization, which leads to melting, cavitation and formation of spallation liquid layer. The calculated asymptotic surface velocity of this layer as a function of fluence is in reasonably good agreement with experimental data.

Ultrashort laser pulse is a unique nanometallurgical tool which operates at extreme conditions: ultimate strength of material, the smallest spatiotemporal scales, and nonequlibrium crystallization. Approaches to ultimate strength and to highly nonequlibrium crystallization are tightly coupled with the smallness of spatiotemporal scales. Usage of the tool opens new opportunities to create materials with enhanced surface hardness, anticorrosion properties, and diverted optical constants. To use these advantages we have first of all to develop clear and reliable physical model. The paper presents new results concerning interactions of optical or X-ray lasers with metals. It is shown that ultrashort laser pulse melts surface layer, sends shock into bulk, and foams molten metal. Dense dislocation bilayer is created thanks to fast recrystallization (the first sublayer) and plastic transformations behind strong shock (the second sublayer). Plastic shock generated at moderate laser intensities attenuates sharply during its propagation into metal. During this attenuation, a plastic shock regenerates into a powerful elastic shock. This process defines boundary between the second dislocation sublayer and undamaged solid. Mechanical breaking of foam after its strong stretching and fly away of a part of melt together with fast freezing are responsible for appearance of chaotic frozen nanostructures at an irradiated surface.

We present an overview of our systematic studies of the surface modifications resulting from the interactions of both single and multiple picosecond soft x-ray laser (SXRL) pulses with materials, such as gold (Au), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), and lithium fluoride (LiF). We show experimentally the possibility of the precise nanometer size structures (~10–40 nm) formation on their surfaces by ultra-low (~10–30 mJ/cm2 ) fluencies of single picosecond SXRL pulse. Comparison experimental results with the atomistic model of ablation, which was developed for the single SXRL shot interaction with dielectrics and metals, is provided. Theoretical description of surface nanostructures is considered and is shown that such structures are formed after laser illumination in a process of mechanical spallation of ultrathin surface layer of molten metal. Spallation is accompanied by a strong foaming of melt, breaking of foam, and freezing of foam remnants. Those remnants form chaotic nanostructures, which are observed in experiments. Our measurements show that electron temperature of matter under irradiation of SXRL was lower than 1 eV. The model calculation also predicts that the ablation induced by the SXRL can create the significant low electron temperature. Our results demonstrate that tensile stress created in LiF and metals by short SXRL pulse can produce spallative ablation of target even for drastically small fluencies, which open new opportunities for material nano processing.

The initial stages of femtosecond laser ablation of gold were observed by single-shot soft X-ray laser interferometer and reflectometer. The ablation front surface and the spallation shell dome structure were observed from the results of the soft X-ray interferogram, reflective image, and shadowgraph. The formation and evolution of soft X-ray Newton’s rings (NRs) were found by reflective imaging at the early stages of the ablation dynamics. The soft X-ray NRs are caused by the interference between the bulk ablated surface and nanometer-scale thin spallation layer. The spallation layer was kept at the late timing of the ablation dynamics, and the height of that reached over 100 μm. The temporal evolution of the bulk ablated surface was observed in the ablation dynamics. From these results, we have succeeded in obtaining the temporal evolution of the ablation front exfoliated from the gold surface.

Understanding the physics of laser-matter interactions in ultrashort pulses is important for many well-acknowledged applications from material modifications to biology. We numerically and experimentally consider the effect of sub-picosecond Ti:sapp laser actions on 60-100 nm gold films mounted onto a fused silica substrate. The pulse energy is sufficient to ablate the films. For the first time, we show that there are different regimes of ablation, and the formation of the 3D structures depends on the value of the absorbed fluence Fabs and the adhesion strength padh between the film and the substrate. Namely, a delamination threshold Fdelam and an ablation threshold Fabl (Fdelam < Fabl) exist if adhesion is weak. Above the lower threshold Fdelam, the whole film delaminates from the substrate. Above the higher threshold Fabl, the thin film ruptures near its middle plane. The external half of the film flies away, while the internal half remains on the glass substrate. There are two thresholds Fdelam and Fabl...

We captured single shot images of ZnO emission patterns originating from excitation with the EUV laser at Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). The EUV laser was focused to a spot size of 1 μm on the ZnO crystal by a Fresnel Zone Plate (FZP). The FZP was shifted along the propagation direction of the EUV beam, essentially changing the spot size at the ZnO surface. The emission pattern was detected by a magnifier. The waist radii were determined from the fitting curve as 5.0 μm along the horizontal axis and 4.7 μm along the vertical axis. We also evaluated the spatial resolution of the magnifier, which consists of a Schwarzschild mirror, two lenses and a camera lens to be about 4 μm. These results suggest that the ZnO crystal has sub-micron spatial resolution when used as an in-situ imaging device for the diagnostics of EUV/X-ray sources.

Ablation dynamics of tungsten irradiated with a 70 fs laser pulse is investigated with X-ray interferometry and X-ray imaging using a 13.9 nm soft X-ray laser of 7 ps pulse duration. The evolution of high-density ablation front of tungsten (i.e., W) is presented. The ablation front expands to ~120 nm above the original target surface at 160 ps after femtosecond-laser irradiation with an expansion speed of approximately 750 m/s. These results will provide important data for understanding ablation properties of W, which is a candidate material of the first wall of magnetic confinement fusion reactors.

Absolute Kα line spectroscopy is proposed for studying laser–plasma interactions taking place in the Au cone-guided fast ignition targets. X-ray spectra ranging from 20 to 100 keV were quantitatively measured with a Laue spectrometer composed of a cylindrically curved crystal and a filter-absorption method for Bremsstrahlung continuum emission. The absolute sensitivities of the Laue spectrometer systems were calibrated using pre-characterized laser-produced X-ray sources and radioisotopes. The integrated reflectivity for the crystal is in good agreement with predictions by an X-ray diffraction code. The energy transfer efficiency from incident laser beams to hot electrons, as the energy transfer mechanism, is derived from this work. The absolute yield of Au and Ta Kα lines were measured in the fast ignition experimental campaign performed at Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University. Applying the hot electron spectrum information from electron spectrometer and scaling laws, the energy transfer efficiency from the incident LFEX, a kJ-class PW laser, to hot electrons was derived for the first time.

A short review of our experimental studies on generation of photon and particle beams in submicron clusters irradiated by intense, high-contrast (similar to 10(8-)10(10)) femtosecond laser pulses is presented. It is shown that highly-efficient laser-cluster interaction allows creating bright sources of X-ray, high-energy electron and ion beams. The examples of applications of femtosecond-laser-produced cluster plasmas (FLPCP) for X-ray and ion beams radiography are presented.

We have developed the pump and probe interferometer and reflective imaging technique of the metal surfaces during the femto-second laser ablation by using the plasma based soft x-ray laser at the wavelength of 13.9 nm. The pumping laser used for ablation was a Ti: Sapphire laser pulse with the duration of 80 fs pulse at a central wavelength of 795 nm, and had a gaussian spatial profile. By using the x-ray imaging technique, the time resolved image of nano-scaled ablation dynamics was obtained.

To study the interactions between picosecond soft x-ray laser (SXRL) beams and material surfaces, gold (Au), copper (Cu), and silicon (Si) surfaces were irradiated with SXRL pulses having a wavelength of 13.9 nm and a duration of ∼7 ps. Following irradiation, the surfaces of the substrates were observed using a scanning electron microscope and an atomic force microscope. With single pulse irradiation, ripple-like structures were formed on the Au and Cu surfaces. These structures were different from previously investigated conical structures formed on an Al surface. In addition, it was confirmed that the development of modified structures, i.e., growth of hillocks on the Au and Cu surfaces, was observed after multiple SXRL pulse exposures. However, on the Si surface, deep holes that seemed to be melted structures induced by the accumulation of multiple pulses of irradiations were found. Therefore, it was concluded that SXRL beam irradiation of various material surfaces causes different types of surface modifications, and the changes in the surface behaviors are attributed to the differences in the elemental properties, such as the attenuation length of x-ray photons.

We show that a hydrothermal method-grown ZnO is a potential material of an imaging device for soft X-ray laser diagnostics. The beam profile of a soft X-ray laser was evaluated by characterizing the exciton emission patterns of ZnO. The single shot image of emission patterns is clear enough to monitor the evolution of the beam radius around the focal point. By plotting the emission pattern radii at each position, the beam profile of the Ni-like Ag ion plasma laser was estimated from the waist radii as 29 μm and 21 μm in the horizontal and vertical axis, respectively. The divergence angle was estimated to be around 7.2 mrad and 11 mrad in the horizontal and vertical axis, respectively. The beam quality evaluated from the M2 factor was 47 along the horizontal axis and 50 along the vertical axis. Spatial resolution of the magnifier was estimated to be 6 μm and is expected to improve by optimizing the optics of the magnifier and using a telescope. Our results would enhance the use of ZnO as a high-spatial resolution in-situ imaging device that would play a crucial role in the development and application of soft X-ray light sources.

We irradiated the soft x-ray laser (SXRL) pulses having a wavelength of 13.9 nm, the duration time of 7 ps to aluminum (Al), copper (Cu) and gold (Au) surfaces. After the irradiation processes of SXRL beam with laser flux of ~14 mJ/cm 2 for Al case and of ~21 mJ/cm 2 for Cu and Au cases, the modified surfaces were observed with the visible microscope, the scanning electron microscope, and the atomic force microscope. The surface modifications caused by the SXRL irradiations were clearly seen on the surfaces, and it was found that the conical structures having around 100 nm in diameters were formed on the Al surface under a single pulse shot. The conical structures were formed in the features with the average depth of about 40 nm, and this value was in accordance with the attenuation length of the SXRL beam for Al. The modified structure on Al surface induced by SXRL pulse irradiations is different from those of Cu and Au surfaces. The modified structure formed on Al surface induced by the SXRL pulse exposure is interesting as the newly structure. Hence, the SXRL beam would be a candidate for a tool of micromachining, which enable to fabricate of three dimensional structures with nano-meter size on Al surface.

International audience; We present experiments dealing with a femtosecond laser-driven cluster-based plasma, where by analyzing the nonlinear phenomenon of satellites of spectral lines of Ar XVII, we revealed the nonlinear phenomenon of the generation of the second harmonic of the laser frequency. For performing this analysis we developed new results in the theory of satellites of spectral lines. From such lineshape analysis we found, in particular, that the efficiency of converting the short (40 fs) intense (3x10 18 W/cm 2) incident laser light into the second harmonic was 2%. This result is in the excellent agreement with the 2-Dimensional Particle-In-Cell (2D PIC) simulation that we also performed. There is also an order of magnitude agreement between the thresholds for the SHG found from the line shape analysis and from the 2D PIC simulations.

Ultrashort X-ray laser pulse acts onto electron subsystem of dielectrics such as LiF and transfers matter into a two-temperature state with hot electrons excited by the pulse from valence to conduction band. Because of the small heat conduction, the hydrodynamic motion proceeds in adiabatic regime keeping the radiation attenuation depth Datt as the only scale of the spatial heat distribution. Hydrodynamic motion qualitatively changes with absorbed energy increase. At low fluences F ∼ 10mJ/cm 2 a spallative removal of LiF remaining in solid state takes place. This is a reason for the low ablation threshold. The paper presents new experimental findings supporting this conclusion. For the first time these findings are obtained using ultrashort extreme vacuum ultraviolet-free electron laser (EUV-FEL). In the case of high fluence, also achieved in our experiments at EUV-FEL, material removal happens as result of outflow of matter transferred into the gaseous state. This explains the slow growth of the amount of ablated mass with significant fluence increase.

Laser-matter interaction is defined by an electronic band structure of condensed matter and frequency ωL of electromagnetic radiation. In the range of moderate fluences, the energy absorbed by electrons from radiation finally thermalizes in the ion thermal energy. The thermalization processes are different for optical as compared with X-ray quanta and for metals relative to semiconductors and dielectrics, since the light absorption and electron-electron, electron-ion dynamics are sensitive to the electron population in a conduction band and the width of a forbidden gap. Although the thermalization processes are different, the final state is simply a heated matter. Laser heating creates powerful stresses in a target if duration of a laser pulse τL is short in acoustic time scale. Nucleation and material removal take place under such stresses. Such way of removal is called here the spallative ablation. Thus the spallative ablation is an ablation mechanism universally important for qualitatively different materials and quanta. c

The realization of an X-ray laser plasma amplifier using a stretched X-ray pulse leads to higher intensity and better quality X-ray laser pulses.

High-speed laser remote sensing of defects inside a concrete specimen was demonstrated. In the proposed measurement setup, high-power laser pulses irradiated a concrete surface to generate vibration that can be detected by an optical interferometer, which was constructed using photorefractive crystal. The laser-based remote sensing system achieved inspection speeds of 25 Hz. The predominant frequency of a mock-up defect that was embedded in a concrete specimen was measured. The inspection result was identical to that obtained using a conventional hammering method.

Laser plasma x-ray source has the features such as ultra short pulse, high brilliance, monochromaticity, and focusing ability. These features are excellent compared with conventional x-ray source. In order to apply the laser plasma x-ray source to the biomedical study and to more closely research the radiobilogical responce of the cancer cell such as radiation induced bystander effect, we have developed x-ray microbeam system using laser plasma x-ray source. The absorbed dose of laser plasma x-ray was estimated with Gafchromic EBT film and DNA double strand breaks on the cells were detected by immunofluorescence staining. When the cells were irradiated with laser plasma x-ray, the circular regions existing γ-H2AX positive cells were clearly identified. The usefulness of the laser plasma x-ray on the radiobiological study was proved in this research.

We present the results of experiments on the generation of both high and low frequency electromagnetic radiation from the nonlinear interaction of intense laser beams with underdense plasmas. High frequency radiation is generated as a result of the reflection of a near-infrared laser beam by breaking plasma waves. In the proof-of-principle experiment, a 2 TW, 76 fs Ti:sapphire laser pulse was focused to generate wake waves, and a ~0.1 TW laser pulse was focused to collide with the electron density modulations. Frequencies of the reflected light were 56–110 times higher than that of the initial laser. The estimated number of photons per solid angle was 3×107 photons/sr. Low frequency radiation is emitted by the plasma as well. We found that the polarization of the radiation was similar to that of the driver laser. These properties are in accordance with the generation mechanism by relativistic solitons.

Bright source of soft X-ray emission was developed. Soft X-ray radiation was produced by femtosecond laser pulses irradiation of submicron size CO2 clusters. These clusters were produced in custom designed supersonic nozzle from the mixture of the 10% CO2 +90 % He expanding gases. Lithium fluorine based soft X-ray detectors was used for registration of absorption images of ultrathin (nanoscale) foils and biological structures illuminated by the developed source. It was demonstrated that even ifthe foil is essentially transparent for the soft X-ray radiation (like 100 nm thick Zr foil), the image contrast could be significantly increased due to the influence of propagation-based phase-contrast effect when detector is placed at the proper distance behind the sample (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The results of theoretical and experimental studies of ablation of LiF crystal by X-ray beam having photons with 89.3 eV and very short duration of pulse τ = 7 ps are presented. It is found that the crater is formed for fluences above the threshold Fabl ≈ 10mJ/cm2. Such a small threshold is one order of magnitude less than the one obtained for X-ray ablation by longer (nanoseconds) pulses. The theory explains this dramatic difference as a transition from more energy-consuming evaporative ablation to spallative ablation, when the pulse duration decreases from ns tops time ranges. Previously, the spallative mechanism of ablation was exclusively attributed to removal of target materials of metal and semiconductor by the short laser pulses with optical photons ∼ 1eV. We demonstrate that tensile stress created in dielectrics by short X-ray pulse can produce spallative ablation of target even for drastically small X-ray fluences (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

We simultaneously observed both the fast proton generation and terahertz (THz) radiation in the laser pulse interaction with a thin-foil target. The maximum proton energy of ∼2.3 MeV and an intense THz radiation were observed at the pulse duration of ∼30 fs. We also measured the proton beam and UV harmonics from a thin-foil target by changing the laser pulse duration. In the case of the ∼500 fs, peaks of UV harmonics up to fourth order appeared. This unique combination of the multiple beams will provide useful applications such as pump-probe experiments.

We attempted the first measurement of the spectral width of the nickel-like molybdenum x-ray laser ( ${\lambda}\;=\;18.895\;nm$ ) by use of a high-resolution spectrometer in order to determine the strength of the magnetic field required for the generation of a circularly polarized x-ray laser. The spectral width was measured to be ${\Delta}{\lambda}\;=\;18\;m{\AA}$ under the substantial lasing condition. The magnetic field required for the generation of a circularly polarized x-ray laser was 40 T. The splitting of the x-ray laser line was clearly obtained under 15 T external magnetic field. The strength of the magnetic field estimated from the splitting of the x-ray laser line was large compared with the external magnetic field. It implies that there might be an alternative mechanism for enhancement of the magnetic field in the gain medium plasma.

We observe UV harmonics and protons with a 7.5-mum-thick polyimide target irradiated with a high-intensity Ti:sapphire laser. The laser intensity dependence of UV harmonics and proton signal is measured by varying the distance between the target surface and the best focus of the laser beam. In the case of appropriate condition for proton generation with a maximum energy of ~2.7 MeV, the weak broad spectrum in the UV region is generated. The UV harmonics of up to the fourth order are generated as the target is moved away from the best focus position. In this condition, the maximum energy of protons is reduced to ~1 MeV. The simultaneous generation of the harmonics and protons is observed at the amplified spontaneous emission intensities between ~5 times 1011 and ~5 times 1012 W/cm2.

To study the ablation process induced by the soft x-ray laser pulse, we investigated the electron temperature of the ablating material. Focused soft x-ray laser pulses having a wavelength of 13.9 nm and duration of 7 ps were irradiated onto the LiF, Al, and Cu surfaces, and we observed the optical emission from the surfaces by use of an optical camera. On sample surfaces, we could confirm damage structures, but no emission signal in the visible spectral range during ablation could be observed. Then, we estimated the electron temperature in the ablating matter. To consider the radiation from a heated layer, we supposed a black-body radiator as an object. The calculation result was that the electron temperature was estimated to be lower than 1 eV and the process duration was shorter than 1000 ps. The theoretical model calculation suggests the spallative ablation for the interaction between the soft x-ray laser and materials. The driving force for the spallation is an increasing pressure appearing in the heated layer, and the change of the surface is considered to be due to a splash of a molten layer. The model calculation predicts that the soft x-ray laser with the fluence around the ablation threshold can create an electron temperature around 1 eV in a material. The experimental result is in good accordance with the theoretical prediction. Our investigation implies that the spallative ablation occurs in the low electron temperature region of a non-equilibrium state of warm dense matter.

It is commonly accepted that X-ray lasers, as the devices based on amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), did not show any specific polarization in the output beam. The theoretical analysis within the uniform (single-mode) approximation suggested that the output radiation should show some defined polarization feature, but randomly changing from shot-to-shot. This hypothesis has been verified by experiment using traditional double-pulse scheme of transient inversion. Membrane beam-splitter was used as a polarization selector. It was found that the output radiation has a significant component of p-polarisation in each shot. To explain the effect and place it in the line with available, but scarce data, propagation and kinetic effects in the non-uniform plasma have been analysed.