Saturated Amplification of a Collisionally Pumped Optical-Field-Ionization Soft X-Ray Laser at 41.8 nm

S. Sebban; R. Haroutunian; Ph. Balcou; G. Grillon; A. Rousse; S. Kazamias; T. Marin; J. P. Rousseau; L. Notebaert; M. Pittman; J. P. Chambaret; A. Antonetti; D. Hulin; D. Ros; A. Klisnick; A. Carillon; P. Jaeglé; G. Jamelot; J. F. Wyart

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.3004

Saturated Amplification of a Collisionally Pumped Optical-Field-Ionization Soft X-Ray Laser at 41.8 nm

S. Sebban, R. Haroutunian, Ph. Balcou, G. Grillon, A. Rousse, S. Kazamias, T. Marin, J. P. Rousseau, L. Notebaert, M. Pittman, J. P. Chambaret, A. Antonetti, D. Hulin, D. Ros, A. Klisnick, A. Carillon, P. Jaeglé, G. Jamelot, and J. F. Wyart

Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 3004 – Published 2 April 2001

Abstract

We report the first saturated amplification of an optical-field-ionization soft x-ray laser. The amplifying medium is generated by focusing a circularly polarized 330-mJ, 35-fs, 10-Hz Ti:sapphire laser system in a few-mm cell filled with xenon. A gain of $67 cm^{- 1}$ on the ${4 d}^{9} 5 p - {4 d}^{9} 5 d$ transition at 41.8 nm in Pd-like xenon and a gain-length product of 15 have been inferred at saturation. This source delivers about $5 \times 10^{9}$ photons per pulse. The influence of the pumping energy and the laser polarization on the lasing output are also presented.

Received 7 December 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.3004

Authors & Affiliations

S. Sebban¹, R. Haroutunian¹, Ph. Balcou¹, G. Grillon¹, A. Rousse¹, S. Kazamias¹, T. Marin¹, J. P. Rousseau¹, L. Notebaert¹, M. Pittman¹, J. P. Chambaret¹, A. Antonetti¹, D. Hulin¹, D. Ros², A. Klisnick², A. Carillon², P. Jaeglé², G. Jamelot², and J. F. Wyart³

¹Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée, ENSTA/Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS UMR 7639, F-91761 Palaiseau cedex, France
²Laboratoire de Spectroscopie Atomique et Ionique, CNRS UMR 8624, F-91405 Orsay cedex, France
³Laboratoire Aimé Cotton, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS UPR 3321, F-91405 Orsay cedex, France