Dense plasma diagnostics with an amplitude-division soft-x-ray laser interferometer based on diffraction gratings

We report the demonstration of an amplitude-division soft-x-ray interferome ter that can be used to generate high-contrast interferograms at the wavele ngth of any of the saturated soft-x-ray lasers (5.6-46.9 nn) that are avail able at present. The interferometer, which utilizes grazing-incidence diffr action gratings as beam splitters in a modified Mach-Zehnder configuration, was used in combination with a tabletop 46.9-nm laser to probe a large-sca le (similar to 2.7-mm-long) laser-created plasma. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America. OCIS codes: 340.7450, 140.7240.