Scattering of ultrashort x-ray pulses in optically dense plasmas: Account for pulse duration and propagation effects

Scattering of ultrashort laser pulses (USP) in optically dense plasma is presented, accounting for the peculiarities of ultrashort electromagnetic interaction and absorption of radiation in plasmas. The results are presented in terms of a universal dimensionless total scattering coefficient (TSC). A universal closed expression for TSC is derived and analyzed. Numerical calculations of TSC are carried out for the special case of USP resonance scattering on H-like ions in hot plasmas. Fine structure splitting of the resonant transition and Doppler broadening are taken into account. The dependences of the TSC on USP parameters and the optical thickness of plasma layers are derived. (c) 2024 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.