TEMPORALLY AND SPATIALLY-RESOLVED INVESTIGATION OF THE J=0-1 AND J=2-1, 3P-3S LASER EMISSIONS IN NEON-LIKE GERMANIUM

We report a time- and space-resolved investigation of the J = 0-1 and J = 2-1 lasers in neonlike germanium at 19.6, 23.2, and 23.6 nm. Germa nium slabs were irradiated by the Asterix TV iodine laser at an intens ity of approximately 2.0 x 10(13) W cm(-2) without and with a prepulse , which was 5.23 ns before the main pulse. The position of the lasing region was measured as a function of the prepulse intensity. It was fo und that lasing on the J = 0-1 transition at 19.6 nm occurs earlier in time and closer to the target surface than on the two J = 2-1 transis itions at 23.2 and 23.6 nm. The position for the 23.6-nm laser is the farthest from the target surface. A larger prepulse shifted all lasers farther from the target surface. Numerical simulations showed good qu alitative agreement with experimental results when a prepulse was appl ied. For the case without a prepulse, calculations indicated the impor tance of beam refraction in modifying the effective gain of the soft-x -ray laser beam. (C) 1996 Optical Society of America