title: Optimization of a tabletop high-repetition-rate soft x-ray laser pumped in double-pulse single-beam grazing incidence.
abstract: This Letter reports on the optimization of a tabletop nickel-like molybdenum transient collisionally excited soft x-ray laser (SXRL) at 18.9 nm performed by a double-pulse single-beam grazing incidence pumping (DGRIP). This scheme allows for the first time, to our knowledge, the full control of the pump laser parameters including the pre-pulse duration optimally generating the SXRL amplifier under a grazing incidence. The single-beam geometry of the collinear double-pulse propagation guarantees the ideal overlap of the pre-pulse and main pulse from shot to shot resulting in a more efficient and highly stable SXRL output. SXRL energies up to 2.2 microJ are obtained with a total pump energy less than 1 J for several hours at a 10 Hz repetition rate without realignment under once optimized double pumping pulse parameters including energy ratio, time delay, pre-pulse and main pulse durations, and line focus width.
authors.affiliation: LASERIX-CLUPS, LIXAM UMR 8624, Université Paris-Sud 11, Bâtiment 350, F-91405 Orsay CEDEX, France. d.zimmer@gsi.de
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zielbauer
authors.forename: Moana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pittman
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Guilbaud
authors.forename: Jamil
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Habib
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kazamias
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ros
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bagnoud
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuehl