Abstract
In high-spectral resolution experiments with the petawatt Vulcan laser, strong x-ray radiation of KK hollow atoms (atoms without n=1 electrons) from thin Al foils was observed at pulse intensities of 3×1020 W/cm2. The observations of spectra from these exotic states of matter are supported by detailed kinetics calculations, and are consistent with a picture in which an intense polychromatic x-ray field, formed from Thomson scattering and bremsstrahlung in the electrostatic fields at the target surface, drives the KK hollow atom production. We estimate that this x-ray field has an intensity of >5×1018 W/cm2 and is in the 3 keV range.
| Original language | English |
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| Article number | 125001 |
| Journal | Physical Review Letters |
| Volume | 110 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 18 Mar 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |