Ultra hard x rays from krypton clusters heated by intense laser fields

Issac, R.C. and Vieux, G. and Ersfeld, B. and Brunetti, E. and Jamison, S.P. and Gallacher, J.G. and Clark, D. and Jaroszynski, D.A. (2004) Ultra hard x rays from krypton clusters heated by intense laser fields. Physics of Plasmas, 11 (7). pp. 3491-3496. ISSN 1070-664X

Abstract

The interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with krypton clusters at intensity up to 1.3×1018 Wcm−2 has been investigated. Intense Kα and Kβ emission from krypton at 12.66 and 14.1 keV, respectively, has been observed using conventional solid state x-ray detectors. The measured x-ray spectra have broad bremsstrahlung continuum reaching to photon energies up to 45 keV, with evidence that approximately 10% of electrons that are heated to very high electron temperatures, which is consistent with a two-temperature electron distribution. This is ascribed to the presence of a hot electron population, similar to that found in laser-solid interactions. The highest laser energy to x-ray conversion efficiency observed is 9.2×10−7, which is equivalent to 45 nJ x-ray pulse energy from the 12.66 keV krypton Kα transition.

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