Modelling and optimisation of fs laser-produced Kα sources

Recent theoretical and numerical studies of laser-driven femtosecond K α sources are presented, aimed at understanding a recent experimental campaign to optimize emission from thin coating targets. Particular attention is given to control over the laser–plasma interaction conditions defined by the interplay between a controlled prepulse and the angle of incidence. It is found that the x-ray efficiency for poor-contrast laser systems in which a large preplasma is suspected can be enhanced by using a near-normal incidence geometry even at high laser intensities. With high laser contrast, similar efficiencies can be achieved by going to larger incidence angles, but only at the expense of larger x-ray spot size. New developments in three-dimensional modelling are also reported with the goal of handling interactions with geometrically complex targets and finite resistivity.