Attosecond Pulse Amplification in a Plasma-Based X-Ray Laser Dressed by an Infrared Laser Field

Abstract

We suggest a technique to amplify a train of attosecond pulses, produced by high-harmonic generation (HHG) of an infrared (IR) laser field, in an active medium of a plasma-based X-ray laser. This technique is based on modulation of transition frequency of the X-ray laser by the same IR field, as used to generate the harmonics, via linear Stark effect, which results in redistribution of the resonant gain and simultaneous amplification of a wide set of harmonics in the incident field. We propose an experimental implementation of the suggested technique in active medium of C5+ ions at wavelength 3.4 nm in the "water window" range and show the possibility to amplify by two orders of magnitude a train of attosecond pulses with pulse duration down to 100 as. We show also a possibility to isolate a single attosecond pulse from the incident attosecond pulse train during its amplification in optically deep modulated medium.