Pre-discharge - one of the key conditions for soft X-ray amplification in the fast gas-filled-capillary discharge

Summary form only given, as follows. The most exciting feature, why capillary discharges are a subject of interest at present, is their potential to lase. This was proved by J. J. Rocca (Colorado State University), who not only demonstrated lasing on Ne-like argon (/spl lambda/=46.9 nm), Ne-like sulfur (/spl lambda/=60.8 nm), and Ne-like chlorine (/spl lambda/=52.9 nm), but also achieved a saturation limit on argon.