Investigation of an x-ray source based on a gas puff heated by laser radiation

An investigation was made of a plasma formed by heating a gas target with neodymium gas laser radiation of ~15 GW power. The working substance was gaseous SF₆. The x-ray emission spectra of sulfur and fluorine ions were investigated with one- and two-dimensional spatial resolution. These spectra were recorded by a high-resolution high-luminosity spectrograph with a mica crystal bent to form a sphere with a radius of R = 10 cm. Laser breakdown of a gas puff produced a sufficiently compact near-spherical plasma formation of ~2.5 mm size and with the electron temperature at least 470 eV.