Resonantly-pumped soft X-ray lasers using ICF drivers

This chapter examines some aspects of laser design relating to experiments planned for the Novette laser system at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The purpose of the experiments is to test several resonantly-pumped lasers with transition energies between 42.3 eV and 153 eV. An attempt is made to discuss the major physics design issues and numerical simulations. The target consists of low density gas surrounded by flashlamp and filter systems which produce x-rays upon irradiation, and the idea is to transiently strip the lasing element (neon, fluorine) down to the helium-like or hydrogen-like sequence, and then resonantly pump a 1-3 or 1-4 transition with line radiation produced in the flashlamp. Issues covered include spectroscopy, brightness, the timing of transient ionization, hydrodynamic collapse, and the shock heating of the laser gas. Presents a table and a drawing