title: Intense picosecond X-Ray pulses from laser plasmas by use of nanostructured "Velvet" targets
abstract: We describe the optical, radiative, and laser-plasma physics of a new type of nanostructured surface especially promising as a very high absorption target for high-peak-power subpicosecond laser-matter interaction. This oriented-nanowire material, irradiated by 1 ps pulses at intensities up to 10(17) W cm(-2), produces picosecond soft x-ray pulses 50x more efficiently than do solid targets. We compare this to "smoke" or metallic clusters, and solid nanogroove-grating surfaces; the "metal-velvet" targets combine the high yield of smoke targets with the brief emission of grating surfaces.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5S 1A7 and and Photonics Research Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A7.
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kulcsar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: AlMawlawi
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Budnik
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moskovits
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Marjoribanks