Characteristics of a laser plasma x-ray source (review)
The radiative characteristics of complex multiply charged ions are reviewed and studied. The rates of various mechanisms of radiation losses in a homogeneous plasma are determined over wide ranges of electron temperatures 10–105 eV, electron densities up to ~1024 cm−3, and atomic numbers zN ~10–80. The efficiency of conversion of laser radiation into x rays is considered in the photon energy range higher than ~0.1 keV. It is found that for elements with zN ~30 the radiation losses may represent a substantial (~1/4) fraction of the absorbed energy.