Abstract

The development of compact, high-repetition rate ultrashort hard-x-ray sources is required for many applications, including time-resolved diffraction studies, control of chemical reactions, or time-gated medical imaging. Apart from synchrotron-based sources, ultrashort hard-x-ray pulses are presently produced by focusing highpower (terawatt) femtosecond laser radiation onto solid targets. The main drawback of these laser-plasma x-ray sources is the very high cost and complexity of the available high-power femtosecond laser systems. This means a serious obstacle on the way to a broad practical usage of ultrashort hard-x-ray pulses in science and technology.

© 2002 Optical Society of America