HIGH-RESOLUTION X-RAY-IMAGING OF PLANAR FOILS IRRADIATED BY THE NIKE KRF LASER

Thin plastic (CH) foils were irradiated by the Naval Research Laborato ry Nike [Obenschain et al., Phys. Plasmas 3, 2098 (1996)] KrF laser an d were imaged in the x-ray and extreme ultraviolet regions with two-di mensional spatial resolution in the 3-10 mu m range. The CH foils were backlit by a silicon plasma. A spherically curved quartz crystal prod uced monochromatic images of the Si+12 resonance line radiation with e nergy 1865 eV that was transmitted by the CK foils. Instabilities that were seeded by linear ripple patterns on the irradiated sides of CH f oils were observed. The ripple patterns had periods in the 31-125 mu m range and amplitudes in the 0.25-5.0 mu m range. The silicon backligh ter emission was recorded by an x-ray spectrometer, and the 1865 eV re sonance line emission was recorded by a fast x-ray diode. The multilay er mirror telescope recorded images of the C+3 1550 Angstrom emission (energy 8.0 eV) from the backside of the CK foils. (C) 1997 American I nstitute of Physics.