Development of a sodium-pump/neon-lasant photopumped soft X-ray laser

Resonant photopumping of heliumlike neon by heliumlike sodium is investigated to extend this potentially efficient technique for inversion and lasing to shorter wavelengths. Properties of the sodium-pump plasma and the neon-lasant plasma required to optimize fluorescence and lasing are determined. The implosion of a sodium-bearing plasma with a megampere pulsed-power driver (Gamble II) is used to produce a linear Z-pinch with up to 25 GW of sodium-pump-line radiation. A separate neon plasma, driven by part of the return current form the imploding sodium plasma, is created parallel to the sodium line source at a distance of 5 cm. Implosion requirements for the neon plasma and its dynamics in the Gamble II return-current geometry are described. Evidence for population inversion is indicated by fluorescence enhancement of the 11-A resonance line from the n = 4 level of neon when pumped by sodium. The neon spectra are in qualitative agreement with calculations based on the sodium-pump power. Improvements in the experiment required to achieve lasing are discussed