Demonstration of a High Average Power Tabletop Soft X-Ray Laser

TLDR

The study demonstrates a high‑average‑power tabletop soft X‑ray laser for the first time. The device produces ~1 mW average power at 46.9 nm with 135 µJ per pulse at 7 Hz, matching synchrotron brightness and enabling broad applications.

Abstract

We report the first demonstration of a high average power tabletop soft x-ray laser. An average laser output power of $\ensuremath{\approx}1\mathrm{mW}$ $(>2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{14}\mathrm{photons}/\mathrm{s})$ was generated at 46.9 nm in Ne-like Ar using a very compact tabletop discharge. The spatially coherent average power emitted by this 26.5 eV laser is comparable to that generated at this photon energy in a similar bandwidth $(\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\lambda}/\ensuremath{\lambda}{\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}10}^{\ensuremath{-}4})$ by a third-generation synchrotron beam line. Lasing was obtained at a repetition rate of 7 Hz with an average output energy of $135\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{J}/\mathrm{pulse}$ by exciting a plasma column in a ceramic capillary with a fast current pulse. This very compact high-repetition-rate laser source makes intense short-wavelength coherent radiation accessible to a wide variety of new applications.