Study of lasing in low-Zneon-like ions using the prepulse technique

We report strong lasing on the neon-like 3 p 1 S 0 → 3 s 1 P 1 transition with wavelengths between 255 and 196 Å when a low intensity prepulse is introduced before the main optical drive pulse of the 1.315 μm Asterix laser which illuminates slab targets of materials ranging from iron to germanium. With the prepulse removed, this line is not visible except in the case of germanium where the use of the prepulse enhances the line at 196 Å by two orders of magnitude. We also observe that ions with even- Z perform better than those with odd- Z , consistent with hyperfine splitting broadening the laser linewidth and thereby reducing the gain for the odd- Z ions.