Spectral investigation of highly ionized bismuth plasmas produced by subnanosecond Nd:YAG laser pulses.

The unresolved transition arrays (UTAs) emitted from laser produced bismuth (Bi) plasma sources show potential for single-shot live cell imaging. We have measured extreme ultraviolet spectra from bismuth laser produced plasmas in the 1–7 nm region using a λ = 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser with a pulse duration of 150 ps. Comparison of spectra obtained under different laser power densities with calculations using the Hartree–Fock with configuration interaction Cowan suite of codes and the UTA formalism, as well as consideration of previous predictions of isoelectronic trends, are employed to identify lines and a number of new features in spectra from Bi XXIII to Bi XLVII. The results show that Δn = 0, n = 4–4 emission from highly charged ions merges to form intense UTAs in the 4 nm region and Δn = 1, n = 4–5 resonance transitions UTAs dominate the 1–3 nm region of the Bi spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]