Demonstration of a Collisionally Excited Optical-Field-Ionization XUV Laser Driven in a Plasma Waveguide

A. Butler (1) , A. J. Gonsalves (1) , C.M. Mckenna (1) , D.J. Spence (1) , S.M. Hooker (1) , Stéphane Sebban (2) , Tomas Mocek (2) , Islam Bettaibi (2) , B. Cros (3)

1 Department of Physics [Oxford]
2 LOA - Laboratoire d'optique appliquée
3 LPGP - Laboratoire de physique des gaz et des plasmas

We describe the first demonstration of a collisionally excited optical-field-ionization laser driven within a waveguide. Lasing on the 4d^95d-4d^95p transition at 41.8 nm in Xe8+ was observed to be closely correlated to conditions under which the pump laser pulses were guided well by a gas-filled capillary discharge waveguide. Simulations of the propagation of the pump laser radiation show that gain was achieved over essentially the whole 30 mm length of the waveguide.

Domains: Physics [physics]; Physics [physics]; Optics [physics.optics]

A. Butler, A. J. Gonsalves, C.M. Mckenna, D.J. Spence, S.M. Hooker, et al.. Demonstration of a Collisionally Excited Optical-Field-Ionization XUV Laser Driven in a Plasma Waveguide. Physical Review Letters, 2003, 91 (20), pp.205001. ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.205001⟩. ⟨hal-00523091⟩