Low temperature plasmas created by photoionization of gases with intense radiation pulses from laser-produced plasma sources

Abstract

A comparative study of photoionized plasmas created by soft X-ray (SXR) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) laser plasma sources was performed. The sources, employing high or low energy laser systems, utilized double-stream Xe/He gas-puff targets irradiated with laser pulses of different parameters. The SXR/EUV beams were used for irradiation of a gas stream, injected into a vacuum chamber synchronously with the radiation pulse. Photoionized plasmas produced this way in Ne gas emitted radiation in the SXR/EUV range. The corresponding spectra were dominated by emission lines originating from singly charged ions. Significant differences between spectra obtained in different experimental conditions concern specific transitions in Ne II ions. Creation of photoionized plasmas by SXR or EUV irradiation resulted in K-shell or L-shell emissions respectively. In case of the low energy system absorption spectra were measured additionally. In case of the high energy system, the electron density measurements were performed by laser interferometry, employing a femtosecond laser system. A maximum electron density reached the value of 2·1018cm-3. For the low energy system, a detection limit was too high for the interferometric measurements, thus only an upper estimation for electron density could be made.