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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

X-ray lasers from tabletop device






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Wow! That's a huge step!

Seems these are not generated by population inversion, though, like most gas lasers. Unless they are just describing it oddly.
 

ARG

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Wow! That's a huge step!

Seems these are not generated by population inversion, though, like most gas lasers. Unless they are just describing it oddly.

Yeah, it's an incredible leap in laser tech. I'm surprised they were able to get it so small.
 
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"The coherent beam generated in the latest study covers a broad energy spectrum - simultaneously streaming ultraviolet light, X-rays, and all wavelengths in between."

Is this a "white" laser?
 

ARG

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I think they mean all wavelengths in between X-rays and UV, so it wouldn't cover the visible spectrum.
 

Ears and Eggs

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Now we just need someone on LPF to get a maser or xaser. :D
 
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@ ARGLaser: that makes complete sense.
For some reason in my mind I had a picture like this.
Ultraviolet... Visible spectrum... Ir............. X-ray.

Silly, I know. If it took the time to think about it I would have realized my mistake.
 

joeyss

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The energy for the X-ray beam was supplied by short infrared laser pulses. They are fired at noble gases, where they rip electrons out of the atoms.
So if we just get a pulsed YAG laser and a tube of noble gases we could make a X-ray laser?
 

ARG

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The energy for the X-ray beam was supplied by short infrared laser pulses. They are fired at noble gases, where they rip electrons out of the atoms.
So if we just get a pulsed YAG laser and a tube of noble gases we could make a X-ray laser?

That's probably just the watered down version so that the general public can understand. I'm sure there's plenty more to it than that.
 
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After all... our standard gas lasers (HeNe, Ar, Kr, etc.) are all noble gases too ;)
 
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I am wondering if this may be a FEL
Desktop version? Using an electron tube and
Series of magnets to shape the electron beam
pulse. Anyone?
 

Benm

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Here is a more detailed article that tells a bit about the upconversion process:

First Tabletop X-Ray Laser | June 11, 2012 Issue - Vol. 90 Issue 24 | Chemical & Engineering News

It seems the system uses pressurized helium to achieve a process similar to frequency doubling, but instead of combining the energy of 2 photons into 1, it combines that of several thousand.

Obviously this doesnt work with any IR laser pump, it must be something with very short and intense pulses.

The original Science article is here:

Bright Coherent Ultrahigh Harmonics in the keV X-ray Regime from Mid-Infrared Femtosecond Lasers

Unfortunately i don't have access from here - perhaps someone else is at university where they have a subscription and could copy the fulltext for us?
 
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"The coherent beam generated in the latest study covers a broad energy spectrum - simultaneously streaming ultraviolet light, X-rays, and all wavelengths in between."

Is this a "white" laser?

It would be more of a "highly tunable" laser. Since optics do not control the lambda, it could very well be more precise. We need more details about it though to say more.

I think they mean all wavelengths in between X-rays and UV, so it wouldn't cover the visible spectrum.

It indeed would include the visible spectrum. :)
 

ARG

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It indeed would include the visible spectrum. :)

Really? I thought Xrays were after UV on the spectrum...

The coherent beam generated in the latest study covers a broad energy spectrum - simultaneously streaming ultraviolet light, X-rays, and all wavelengths in between.
Electromagnetic-Spectrum.png
 
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I figured it out. No accelerators or FEL.
It's actually not quite an X-ray that is produced, but ultra hard UV, at 11.7nm. end of the UVC line.

Basically this is a femtosecond laser (IR) that focuses its pulse into a Helium atmosphere.
The helium undergoes ionization at ultrahigh temperatures resulting in a short burst of near x-rays, or ultrahard UV, (11.7nm).

Now we have the capability of stock motion chemical reactions down to molecular levels... cool!
New photography tool.
 
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