A Capillary Discharge as a Potential X-Ray Laser Driver

Abstract

This paper describes a combined theoretical and experimental approach to understanding the capillary spark discharge with specific application to use as a soft x-ray or extreme ultraviolet laser source. Atomic physics calculations have identified several potential laser lines in a collisionally pumped neon-like or nickel-like plasma, and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modeling has shown that a capillary discharge device should be capable of producing the correct plasma conditions to achieve a population inversion in some of these lines. An experiment is constructed to evaluate the accuracy of the MHD model and investigate the potential of observing inversion in a neon-like argon or a nickel-like krypton plasma.