Double Shell Liners As an Active Medium for X-Ray Lasers

Abstract

The operation of x-ray lasers has been successfully demonstrated in laser-produced plasmas. Pulsed-power-driven plasmas of imploding liners offer potentially higher overall efficiencies and less expensive drivers as compared with laser-produced plasmas. Stabilization of a liner implosion is the main problem to be solved to achieve x-ray lasing in liners. Stable liner implosions can be obtained using some methods of liner stabilization. A helical driving magnetic field, a double shell liner structure, and initial axial magnetic field were used to stabilize liner implosions on the SNOP-3 generator (I_max ≃ 1.1 MA, τ ≃ 100 ns). Using a capillary discharge in Fe₂O₃ to form the inner shell, a stable pinch of iron-bearing plasma with a diameter 150–200 μm and an ion density of (2–4) × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ was observed. Comparison with theoretical calculations shows that it is possible to create conditions conducive to lasing in neon-like iron using double shell liner implosions On the SNOP-3 generator.