Conversion of linearly polarized high-harmonic radiation into the circularly polarized in an optically modulated plasma-based X-ray laser: taking into account the nonlinearity and finite width of the harmonic spectral lines

TL;DR

This paper extends a method for converting linearly polarized high-harmonic radiation into circular polarization in plasma-based X-ray lasers, accounting for spectral line width and nonlinear effects, and explores experimental feasibility.

Contribution

It develops a comprehensive model including spectral line width and nonlinearity, and analyzes conditions for effective polarization conversion in plasma X-ray lasers.

Findings

Polarization conversion achieved via phase shift on spectral wings.

Finite bandwidth causes non-uniform polarization in time.

Nonlinearity and spontaneous emission influence polarization quality.

Abstract

The method proposed in [I.R. Khairulin et al., JETP Letters 117(9), 652 (2023)] for converting the linearly polarized radiation of high-order harmonics of an optical field into the circularly polarized in an optically modulated active medium of a plasma-based X-ray laser has been de-veloped. This method is extended to the case of finite width of spectral lines (finite pulse dura-tion) of high harmonic radiation and nonlinear interaction of radiation with matter. The trans-formation of the polarization of the harmonic field is achieved by introducing a phase shift of {\pi}/2 between its polarization components, parallel and orthogonal to the polarization of the modulating field, through resonant dispersion on the spectral wings of the induced gain lines of the active medium and is accompanied by an increase in the power of high harmonics. It is shown that for harmonics with a finite bandwidth, the polarization of the output radiation is non-uniform in time. The reasons for such non-uniformity are analyzed and the conditions for its minimization are found. The influence of nonlinearity and amplified spontaneous radiation of the active medium on the high-harmonic polarization is investigated. The possibilities for the experimental implementation of this effect in a neon-like active medium of a plasma X-ray laser based on Ti12+ ions with an unperturbed wavelength of the inverted transition at 32.6 nm are analyzed.