Abstract

High-power, short-pulse lasers have created new possibilities for strong-field photoionization in atoms and subsequent plasma production. Atoms subject to a high laser field ionize through tunneling ionization, resulting in a high stage of ionization with relatively cold electrons. It has been proposed that these highly non equilibrium plasmas could lead to x-ray lasers based on rapid recombination.¹ The feasibility of such schemes depends critically on the electron temperature. Although electron-energy distributions produced under strong-field-photo ionization conditions have been studied by using isolated atoms subjected to moderate intensities (as high as ~10¹⁵ W/cm²), they have not been studied under the high-density, high-intensity conditions relevant for recombination-laser schemes.

© 1993 Optical Society of America