Soft-x-ray emission dynamics in picosecond laser-produced plasmas

Plasmas were generated by prepulse-free picosecond laser irradiation of solid targets consisting of five different fluorine salts. Picosecond-time-resolved x-ray spectroscopy of K-shell emission from H-like and He-like fluorine was performed to study the temporal evolution of plasma parameters including electron density and temperature. Measurements show that the fluorine line emission intensity reaches its maximum in a time comparable with the rise time of the laser pulse. This peak is then followed by a decay whose rate depends upon the atomic number of the alkali component of the target. Our measurements show clear evidence of radiation cooling effects in higher-Z targets.