Analysis of a soft-x-ray laser with charge-exchange excitation
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A soft-x-ray laser utilizing electron pickup by a stripped nucleus is proposed. A particular example using electron exchange between hydrogen and an particle is analyzed and is shown to produce inversion between the He2p+ and He1s+ levels giving stimulated emission at 304. In this scheme the particles are swept along the target at the speed of light. The cross sections involved in the electron pickup in a hydrogen target and subsequent collisional deexcitation are analyzed to ascertain the optimum target thickness for population inversion. Also the effects of atomic collisions on the stimulated-emission cross section are estimated (Doppler broadening). The dynamics of the beam including focusing and space-charge effects are discussed. The stimulated-emission cross sections for a gas and a solid thin-film target are calculated. For a 30-mA -particle current and a 10-cm lasing length, we estimate gains of 1.1 and 50, respectively. 1975 The American Physical Society.