title: Efficient multi-keV underdense laser-produced plasma radiators.
abstract: Novel, efficient x-ray sources have been created by supersonically heating a large volume of Xe gas. A laser-induced bleaching wave quickly ionizes the high- Z gas, and the resulting plasma emits x rays. This method significantly improves the production of hard x rays because less energy is lost to kinetic energy and sub-keV x rays. The conversion efficiency of laser energy into L-shell radiation between 4-7 keV is measured at approximately 10%, an order of magnitude higher than efficiencies measured from solid disk targets. This higher flux enables material testing and backlighting in new regimes and scales well to future high-powered lasers.
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, L-21, P.O. Box 808, Livermore, California 94551, USA.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Back
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grun
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Decker
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Suter
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: O L
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Landen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Hsing
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Laming
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wuest