Line spectroscopy with spatial resolution of laser-plasma X-ray emission

High dynamic range, space-resolved X-ray spectra of an aluminum laser-plasma in the 5.5-8 Angstrom range were obtained using a TIAP crystal and a cooled CCD camera as a detector. This technique was used to investigate the emission region in the longitudinal direction over a distance of approximately 350 mum from the solid target surface. These data show that the electron density profile varies by two orders of magnitude with the temperature ranging from about 180 eV in the overdense region to about 650 eV in the underdense region. Accordingly, different equilibria take place across the explored region which can be identified with this experimental technique. Derailed studies on highly ionized atomic species in different plasma conditions can therefore be performed simultaneously under controlled conditions.