Abstract

The efficient generation of sub-picosecond hard-x-ray pulses in the keV energy range is of great scientific and practical importance. At present, ultrashort hard-x-ray pulses are usually produced by focusing high-power femtosecond laser radiation on a solid target, as shown schematically in Fig. la. Applications of these x-rays for time-resolved diffraction studies^1,2 and medical imaging^3,4 have already been successfully demonstrated. The main drawback of these x-ray sources preventing them from broad practical usage is the very high cost and complexity of modern high-power femtosecond laser systems.

© 2001 Optical Society of America