Time-resolved x-ray K-shell spectra from high density plasmas generated by ultrashort laser pulses -: art. no. 026407

We present time-resolved x-ray spectra of C, F, Na, and Al, generated by focusing ultrashort frequency doubled Ti:sapphire laser pulses on solid plane targets. Using a high resolution x-ray streak camera in combination with a laser triggered accumulation system, we achieved a time resolution of 1.7 ps when adding the x-ray signal of many thousands of laser shots. K-shell resonance line emission with a duration in the range of 2-4 ps is observed. Ly a emission is generally observed to be faster than He ct emission and the x-ray pulse duration is observed to decrease with increasing atomic number. A hydrodynamic code in combination with an atomic kinetics code is applied for simulation of time-resolved plasma emission, showing good agreement with experimental data.