Emulation of X-ray light-field cameras

X-ray plenoptic cameras acquire multi-view X-ray transmission images in a single exposure (light-field). Their development is challenging: designs have appeared only recently, and they are still affected by important limitations. Concurrently, the lack of available real X-ray light-field data hinders dedicated algorithmic development. Here, we present a physical emulation setup for rapidly exploring the parameter space of both existing and conceptual camera designs. This will assist and accelerate the design of X-ray plenoptic imaging solutions, and provide a tool for generating unlimited real X-ray plenoptic data. We also demonstrate that X-ray light-fields allow for reconstructing sharp spatial structures in three-dimensions (3D) from single-shot data

Indirect excitation of ultrafast demagnetization

Does the excitation of ultrafast magnetization require direct interaction between the photons of the optical pump pulse and the magnetic layer? Here, we demonstrate unambiguously that this is not the case. For this we have studied the magnetization dynamics of a ferromagnetic cobalt/palladium multilayer capped by an IR-opaque aluminum layer. Upon excitation with an intense femtosecond-short IR laser pulse, the film exhibits the classical ultrafast demagnetization phenomenon although only a negligible number of IR photons penetrate the aluminum layer. In comparison with an uncapped cobalt/palladium reference film, the initial demagnetization of the capped film occurs with a delayed onset and at a slower rate. Both observations are qualitatively in line with energy transport from the aluminum layer into the underlying magnetic film by the excited, hot electrons of the aluminum film. Our data thus confirm recent theoretical predictions

Flexible plenoptic X-ray microscopy

X-ray computed tomography (CT) is an invaluable technique for generating three-dimensional (3D) images of inert or living specimens. X-ray CT is used in many scientific, industrial, and societal fields. Compared to conventional 2D X-ray imaging, CT requires longer acquisition times because up to several thousand projections are required for reconstructing a single high-resolution 3D volume. Plenoptic imaging—an emerging technology in visible light field photography—highlights the potential of capturing quasi-3D information with a single exposure. Here, we show the first demonstration of a flexible plenoptic microscope operating with hard X-rays; it is used to computationally reconstruct images at different depths along the optical axis. The experimental results are consistent with the expected axial refocusing, precision, and spatial resolution. Thus, this proof-of-concept experiment opens the horizons to quasi-3D X-ray imaging, without sample rotation, with spatial resolution of a few hundred nanometres

0.27 GW Soft X-Ray Pulse Using a Plasma-Based Amplification Chain

International audienceSeeding plasma-based soft-x-ray lasers (PBSXRL) with high order harmonics (HOH) has been demonstrated in plasmas created from gas targets (Zeitoun et al. in Nature 431:426, 2004) and solid targets (Wang et al. in Nat. Photonics 2:94, 2008), obtaining 1 mu J, 1 ps pulses. Reaching multi-microJoule, hundreds of fs regime is the ultimate goal. Recent papers (Oliva et al. in Opt. Lett. 34(17):26402642, 2009; Phys. Rev. E 82(5):056408, 2010) showed that increasing the width (up to 1 mm) of the plasma increases the amplification surface and improves the gain zone properties. Up to 20 mu J could be extracted when seeding but the temporal duration and profile was not studied. Simulations show that the HOH is weakly amplified whereas most of the energy is within a long (several picoseconds) wake induced by the HOH (Al'miev et al. in Phys. Rev. Lett. 99(12):123902, 2007; Kim et al. in Phys. Rev. Lett. 104:053901, 2010). Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) is also present in the output beam. Using the 1D Maxwell-Bloch code DeepOne (Oliva et al. in Phys. Rev. A 84(1):013811, 2011) we will show that fully coherent, wake and ASE-suppressed, 21.6 mu J, 80 fs pulse can be obtained when optimizing at the same time both the seed and the plasma condition

Optimization of soft x-ray amplifier by tailoring plasma hydrodynamics

International audiencePlasma-based seeded soft x-ray lasers have the potential to generate a high-energy, highly coherent, short pulse beam. Owing to their high density, plasmas created by interaction of an intense laser with a solid target should store the highest amount of energy among all plasma amplifiers. However, to date output energy from seeded solid amplifiers remains as low as 60 nJ. We demonstrated that careful tailoring of the plasma shape is crucial for extracting energy stored in the plasma. With 1-mm-wide plasma, energy as high as 20 μJ in sub-ps pulses is achievable. With such tailored plasma, gain and pumping efficiency have been increased by nearly a factor of 10 as compared to the narrower plasma amplifiers studied here

Transverse spatial improvement of a transiently pumped soft-x-ray amplifier

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Imaging and quality assessment of high-harmonic focal spots

International audienceWe present a direct method of studying the focusability of an intense, short-pulse extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) beam obtained by high-harmonic generation. We perform near-field imaging of the focal spot of five high-harmonic orders strongly focused by a broadband toroidal mirror. To visualize the focal spot directly, we image the fluorescence induced by an XUV beam on a cerium-doped YAG crystal on a visible CCD camera. We can thus measure the harmonic spot size on a single image, together with the Strehl ratio, to evaluate the quality of focusing. Such techniques should become instrumental in optimizing the focusing conditions and reaching intensities required for exploring attosecond nonlinear optics in the XUV range

Spectral characterization of fully phase-matched high harmonics generated in a hollow waveguide for free-electron laser seeding

International audienceWe present a bright and coherent soft x-ray source based on high harmonic generation delivering up to 1010 photons per second centered at 120 eV within an 80 eV bandwidth. The source profits from fully phase-matched harmonic generation in an unmodulated hollow waveguide. Under these conditions, the resulting high harmonic spectrum is shown to be flat-top up to the cutoff photon energy and in line with the theoretical single-atom response. The source is characterized in view of seeding a free-electron laser and is shown to overcome the free-electron laser noise floor for wavelengths as short as 8.9 nm. This opens the perspective toward direct high harmonic seeding of a free-electron laser at soft x-ray wavelengths

Multi-tens of GW peak power plasma-based soft X-ray laser

International audienceUltra-intense X-ray sources have opened new avenues by creating new states of matter or probing and imaging living or inert matter. Free-electron lasers have a strong leadership by delivering pulses combining femtosecond duration and 10s of microJoules to milliJoule energy. However, these sources remain highly expensive limiting their number to a few worldwide. In parallel, laser-pumped soft X-ray lasers hold outstanding promises having demonstrated the most energetic monochromatic soft x-ray pulse and being intrinsically fully synchronized with any secondary source of the pump laser. Since the first successful demonstration of amplification of a high harmonic pulse in a plasma from gas in 2003 and from solid in 2008, we have developed an extensive numerical study. 2D hydrodynamic simulations showed that optimized Transient Collisional Excitation plasma amplifiers, may store up to 0.4 mJ in the population inversion. If carefully seeded, pulses of 80 fs and 20 mu J might be generated with table-top lasers (10J). As the energy extracted is far from the milliJoule requirements of most exciting applications, we studied the seminal experiment of Ditmire et al who seeded a plasma emitting milliJoules in the form of Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE).We retrieved and explained for the first time the experimental result (ASE 1,000 times stronger than amplified seed). We thus proposed and fully modeled the transposition of the so-called Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA) in the soft X-ray range, showing that 6 mJ, 200 fs, fully coherent soft X-ray pulse is accessible with compact pump lasers