DEMONSTRATION OF LASER INDUCED X-RAY GENERATION IN AN EXPANDING LASER PRODUCED PLASMA

X-ray emission at 10 nm stimulated by visible laser radiation at 614.2 nm in a beryllium laser produced plasma was investigated. A method of laser induced quenching of metastable ions was applied to He-like Be{sup 2+} ions in the 1{ital s}2{ital s}{sup 1}{ital S}{sub 0} state. Laser excitation to the 1{ital s}2{ital p}{sup 1}{ital P}{sub 1} state was followed by an intense x-ray emission at a resonance 1{ital s}{sup 21}{ital S}{sub 0}-1{ital s}2{ital p}{sup 1}{ital P}{sub 1} transition. Time, angular, and polarization characteristics of the radiation were studied; a linear polarization and a dipole type angular distribution have been found. The total energy radiated in a 1.5 ns pulse amounted to 10 {mu}J. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}