Abstract

Research into the development of a laser-pumped coherent kilovolt X-ray source has received considerable attention in recent years as a result of potential imaging applications in the biological sciences.¹ In this paper, we show experimental evidence tor a wavelength dependence to the generation of non thermal kilovolt X-rays from Xe clusters² that strongly favors the use of ultraviolet (UV) rather than infrared (IR) pump laser wavelengths.³ This wavelength scaling is in agreement with a full relativistic analysis of the dynamics of the rad rati on/a tom-duster interaction, which includes multiphoton ionization, channeled propagation in the underdense duster medium, and the ponderomotive force on the free electrons.⁴

© 1997 Optical Society of America