Wavelength measurement of the Ni-like soft-x-ray lasing lines and comparison to the atomic-physics calculation

A flat-field grazing-incidence spectrometer is used to measure the lasing s pectra that include Nd (Z = 60) through Ta (Z = 73), recorded on a backside -illumination-type CCD detector, where Z is the atomic number. In the spect ra from Nd through Ta plasmas, precision wavelengths of the lasing lines ar e determined with the well-known Al (Z = 13) lines as reference lines recor ded on the same CCD detector. The measured wavelengths are compared with th e result of the relativistic atomic-physics calculations. (C) 1999 Optical Society of America [S0740-3224(99)02502-3].