ABSOLUTE INTENSITY OF A SODIUM-LIKE RESONANCE LINE FOR TEMPERATURE DIAGNOSIS OF NEON-LIKE X-RAY LASER PLASMAS

Nine different neon-like ions with atomic numbers ranging from 28 to 42 have exhibited gain in various 3 p-3 s transitions. The temperature of the lasing plasma is critical in determining the state of ionization and the relative importance of collisional excitation and recombination pumping. In this paper we demonstrate a potentially useful new temperature diagnostic for these plasmas that works in the density range of interest for X-ray lasing: the absolute intensity of 3 p-3 s sodium-like lines. Due to their large collisional couplings and high optical depths, their brightness temperature approaches the actual kinetic temperature of the plasma in temperature and density regimes of importance for achieving optimal X-ray laser performance. © 1990 Springer-Verlag.