title: Feasibility of a nitrogen-recombination soft-x-ray laser using capillary discharge Z pinch.
abstract: Capillary discharge Z pinches have been shown to be efficient drivers for x-ray lasers (XRLs). In this work we examine the possibility of realizing a H_{alpha} nitrogen recombination laser ( 3-->2 transition) at lambda=13.4nm , using a capillary discharge Z pinch. A pulsed power generator with 60kA peak current and 70ns quarter period have been used to generate Z -pinch plasma in a 90-mm -long and 5-mm -diameter capillary. The plasma conditions were evaluated experimentally, using a filtered x-ray diode detector and time-integrated spectroscopy. The conditions required for the XRL were analytically estimated based on simple steady-state rate equations and then compared to experimental results. We demonstrated above 10% N7+ abundance at pinch time, while at least 50% is required. Then, in the expansion phase, the plasma is cooled in a time less than 5ns to temperatures below 60eV , as needed for the recombination laser. These results suggest that the required conditions for nitrogen-recombination lasing could be achieved in a capillary discharge Z pinch, but a higher-power driver might be needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Kampel
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rikanati
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Be'ery
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ben-Kish
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ron