Computational investigation of the Ni-like Gd collisionally pumped x-ray laser - art. no. 033804

The Ni-like Gd X-ray laser is investigated in detail primarily through a 1. 5-dimensional combined fluid and atomic physics code EHYBRID. Directly meas urable parameters are calculated using a combined optical ray tracing and s aturation calculation code RAYTRACE. As experimental data for Gd are not wi dely available, we compare the predictions of our model with experimental r esults for Sm. There has been considerable success reproducing the results of experiment with this model. Much has been made of the similarities betwe en the operating conditions for Ne- and Ni-Like lasers. This approach has e en quite successful from an experimental viewpoint. In this paper we consid er the degree of similarity. Areas of difference are highlighted particular ly the relative stability of the lasant ion stages.