Dynamics of Ne-like populations in the germanium x-ray laser

Abstract

Time‐ and two‐dimensional (2‐D) space‐resolved monochromatic imaging is used to study the dynamics of Ne‐like populations in the electron collisionally excited germanium x‐ray laser. Large‐scale variations in the n=3 level population, specifically the upper level of the 2s2p63d‐2s2p63p laser transition, are observed in plasmas created in uniform and nonuniform irradiation conditions, and the degree of homogeneity along the amplification axis is related to the x‐ray gain. The influence of inhomogeneities on the core‐excited 3d‐3p x‐ray lasers is discussed.