Multi-kilovolt X-ray sources created by intense lasers

Summary form only given, as follows. X-ray sources in the multi-kilovolt regime are needed to serve as backlights for high energy density experiments and material testing. Current research investigates the conversion efficiency of laser-heated Ar, Xe, and Kr gas-filled targets. By choosing the initial gas density such that the final electron density is 10-20% of critical density, the gases can be efficiently heated to multi-keV temperatures throughout their volume by inverse bremsstrahlung.