title: Ultrafast x-ray pulses emitted from a liquid mercury laser target.
abstract: We report the generation of ultrashort, hard-x-ray pulses from a liquid mercury target irradiated by 5 kHz laser pulses. The new x-ray source is designed for time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy as well as imaging applications. This marks the first laser-driven plasma x-ray source that continuously recycles the target material, facilitating maintenance-free operation. Theoretical calculations show mercury targets emit shorter x-ray pulses than targets of lighter elements under identical illumination and x-ray detection conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reich
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Laperle
authors.forename: Xiaodi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ahr
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Benesch
authors.forename: Christoph G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Rose-Petruck