Absolute keV X-ray yields from intense, ultrashort laser driven solid plasmas

Abstract Absolute yields of characteristic X-ray emission from solids irradiated by picosecond laser pulses are measured in a novel manner using a simple solid state detector. The crucial role of photon statistics in estimating X-ray yields is pointed out. We have obtained an efficiency of 1.0 × 10 −9 for energy conversion into the K X-ray of aluminium at 3.0 × 10 13 W cm −2 . The spectral resolution of the detector enables the measurement of the energy shift of the characteristic X-rays signifying the existence of highly charged ions.

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