X-ray point-source projection photography with a laser-produced source

Laser‐produced plasmas are shown to have characteristics useful for high‐resolution subnanosecond x‐ray radiography. Plasmas produced by 3‐J subnanosecond 1.06‐μm laser pulses focused onto an Al target emit x rays $\text{(≳ 1.5\hspace{0.17em}}\mathrm{keV})$ from a 50‐μm‐diam volume in the order of 1 nsec. Such sources may be useful to probe other plasmas.