Effect of photoelectric fluorescence on the formation of x-ray absorption lines in laser-plasma experiments

In laser-plasma experiments, conditions in an embedded layer in a target shell can be inferred from the spectral attenuation of x-ray continuum radiation by the layer [B. Yaakobi et al., Opt. Commun. 34, 213 (1980)]. In such experiments, absorption lines are formed by 1s-2p absorption transitions in heliumlike through fluorinelike species of certain ions in the layer to be diagnosed. The areal density of each species can be inferred from the attenuation in the spectrum within its respective band, provided the average 1s-2p absorption cross sections for each species are known and provided competing line-forming mechanisms are taken into account. In photoelectric fluorescence, which is one such potentially important competing mechanism, the formation of a 1s vacancy by photoionization is followed by 2p-1s spontaneous emission within the same spectral range as the 1s-2p absorption band of the same ion. The importance of photoelectric fluorescence depends on the supply of ionizing photons, which is sensitive to the design of the experiment. This process should be considered when analyzing experiments where the continuum is hardened by high core temperatures, by opacity effects, or by core components that radiate efficiently at ionizing energies