Title :
Prospects for X-ray amplification with charge-displacement self-channeling
Author :
Solem, Johndale C. ; Luk, Ting Shan ; Boyer, Keith ; Rhodes, Charles Kirkham
Author_Institution :
Los Alamos Nat. Lab., NM, USA
fDate :
12/1/1989 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The authors develop an analytic theory of charge-displacement self-channeling, a mechanism that can dynamically trap a short intense pulse of light. Attention is focused on the case of most interest for X-ray amplification: the strongly saturated channel, for which all free electrons are expelled from the channel core and the channel walls are overdense. Some curious results are: (1) the intensity at the channel walls is independent of the total laser power, (2) the radius of the channel increases very slowly with laser power, asymptotically as the fourth root, and (3) the power in the channel wall is a constant. It is also found that the channel is an effective waveguide for all secondary radiation. Scaling studies show that there is a substantial advantage in using the highest-frequency driving laser available. The channel is ideal for generating coherent short-wavelength radiation, perhaps well into the X-ray range
Keywords :
X-ray lasers; channelling radiation; high-speed optical techniques; light coherence; optical waveguides; X-ray amplification; X-ray range; channel core; channel core expelled free electrons; channel radius; channel wall laser power; channel walls; charge-displacement self-channeling; coherent short-wavelength radiation; dynamically trap; effective waveguide; free electrons; highest-frequency driving laser; laser power; light pulse trapping; overdense channel walls; radiation generation; secondary radiation; short intense light pulse; strongly saturated channel; total laser power; Dielectrics; Diffraction; Electrons; Gaussian processes; Ionization; Laser modes; Optical reflection; Plasma density; Plasma materials processing; Steady-state;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
