This project will investigate the possibility of creating extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray lasers (wavelength 200A - 1200A) Using magnetically confined recombining plasmas produced by fast capillary discharges. The motivation of this research is to achieve laser action in these spectral regions with a relatively compact discharge-pumped devise, as compared with the Kilojoule laser sources required as pumps in other XUV laser approaches. Dense multiply ionized plasmas will be created using high power density capillary discharges. When initially hotter plasmas are required the combination of these capacitive discharges with pinched electron beams having current densities of several Kiloamps/mm2 will be used. Magnetic confinement will allow conductive and radiative plasma cooling without a major reduction in the plasma density. Large optical gains in the XUV and soft X-ray spectral region are expected to result from electron-ion recombination of highly ionized species. H-like, He-like and Li-like species will be investigated as laser candidates.
