German group proves discovery by Catalan scientist on amplification of high-intensity x-ray lasers
The results Carles Serrat published some months ago have now been confirmed by a German team
A study conducted by a group of German scientists proves the theoretical prediction made by researcher Carles Serrat of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia · BarcelonaTech (UPC) regarding the amplification of high-intensity x-ray lasers.
Some months ago, Carles Serrat of the Nonlinear Dynamics, Nonlinear Optics and Lasers (DONLL) group on the UPC Terrassa Campus discovered how to amplify the intensity of x-ray laser light through high harmonic generation (HHG). The scientific community had been searching for a solution to this puzzle for more than 20 years.
Now, a group at the Helmholtz Institute Jena (Germany), led by professor Spielmann, has published a study in the journal Nature confirming Serrat’s research. This validation is a huge step towards getting high-energy x-ray pulses from compact lasers. This breakthrough could make it possible for any laboratory, hospital or research center to amplify x-ray laser light without depending on a synchrotron or a particle accelerator, which are large facilities not everyone has access to.
More information is available in the UPC press release.