Abstract

Recent experiments at the NOVA Two-Beam Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have concentrated on improving the spatial coherence of the neon like soft x-ray laser using a variety of laser architectures. We are also measuring the linewidth (longitudinal coherence) of the lasing transitions and developing nickellike x-ray lasers for use in biological microscopy and holography. These experiments employ a wide variety of time resolved diagnostic techniques using x-ray streak cameras including: spatial coherence measurements, high resolution (λ/Δλ ~35,000) x-ray laser spectroscopy, a medium-resolution (λ/Δλ ~300) streaked flat-field spectrometer, and a soft x-ray crystal spectrometer (1 Å < λ < 12 Å)(λ/Δλ ~ 400). Several time-gated x-ray laser diagnostics have been developed including an angularly resolved, microchannel plate intensified, grazing-incidence spectrograph and a far-field 2-D laser footprint diagnostic. Time integrated measurements including spectrally resolved x-ray emission and x-ray pinhole cameras are also utilized.

© 1991 Optical Society of America