INVESTIGATION OF AN X-RAY SOURCE BASED ON A GAS PUFF HEATED BY LASER-RADIATION

An investigation was made of a plasma formed by heating a gas target w ith neodymium gas laser radiation of similar to 15 GW power. The worki ng substance was gaseous SF6. The x-ray emission spectra of sulfur and fluorine ions were investigated with one- and two-dimensional spatial resolution. These spectra were recorded by a high-resolution high-lum inosity spectrograph with a mica crystal bent to form a sphere with a radius of R = 10 cm. Laser breakdown of a gas puff produced a sufficie ntly compact near-spherical plasma formation of similar to 2.5 mm size and with the electron temperature at least 470 eV.