Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics, v.92, no.4, pp.043807
Publisher
American Physical Society
Abstract
We present polarization measurement of a Ni-like Ag x-ray laser working in the transient collisional excitation
scheme. A calibrated membrane multilayer beam splitter was used to determine the energies of two mutually
perpendicular polarization components (s and p components). As a result, we observed a high degree of
polarization that fluctuated from shot to shot. The dominant polarization component switched from s to p
when pumping was made stronger. The measurement results are discussed from the point of view of the general
polarization theory and supported by a numerical simulation based on Maxwell-Bloch equations. The physical
processes causing the dominance of one polarization component are discussed in terms of pumping strength.
These results should extend the wave physics perspective on the amplification process, transforming a weak
random noise into a strong coherent radiation.