Abstract

High quality line foci are of interest in a variety of high-power laser applications, notably for irradiating fibers and foils for x-ray laser generation, but may also be of interest in other ways such as the implosion of cylinders. X-ray laser experiments have in the past been hampered by the poor quality of line foci. This has resulted in the need for very large lasers to produce the intensities and line lengths required to generate reasonable x-ray gain-length products. Recent experiments at LLNL have required 500-J, 0.5-ns pulses giving intensities of 5 X 10¹³ W/cm² over a line focus length of 10 mm. If such intensities and line lengths could be achieved using a, say, 50-J laser, the same experiments would be accessible to many more laser facilities.

© 1986 Optical Society of America