Development of time-resolved X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy system using an X-ray tube driven by ultrafast pulsed laser

Yamada, Hidetaka; Murakami, Hiroshi; Shimada, Yukihiro

A femtosecond-laser-driven X-ray source and an X-ray focusing system have been developed for the time-resolved X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The X-ray source, in which a plasma cathode induced by a 10-W/cm laser pulse serves as an electron source of an X-ray tube, provides 10 Cu K photons in 4sr per pulse. The X-ray pulse duration is measured to be about two hundred nanoseconds. Emission analysis of the plasma cathode indicates that the temporal characteristics of the X-ray pulse are determined by the dynamics of the plasma particles under the electrostatic shielding against the applied voltage in the X-ray tube. As for the X-ray focusing system, a focal spot size by a polycapillary lens is measured and the enhancement of X-ray fluorescence intensity due to the lens is demonstrated.