Single-shot spatial coherence of a plasma based soft X-ray laser

Abstract: Many applications of short-wavelength radiation impose strong requirements on the coherence properties of the source. However, the measurement of such properties poses a challenge, mainly due to the lack of high-quality optics and source fluctuations that often violate assumptions necessary for multi-shot or cumulative techniques. In this article, we present a new method of single-shot spatial coherence measurement adapted to the soft X-ray spectral range. Our method is based on a far-field diffraction pattern from a binary transmission mask consisting of a non-redundant array of simple apertures. Unlike all currently available methods, our technique allows measuring radiation field with an arbitrary spatial coherence function without any prior assumption on intensity distribution or the model of the degree of spatial coherence. We experimentally verified the technique by retrieving the spatial coherence functions of individual shots of laser-driven Zn plasma soft X-ray laser with one- and two-dimensional masks. The experimental results revealed nontrivial illumination pattern and strong asymmetry of the spatial coherence function, which clearly calls for abandoning the often used models that assume rotational invariance of the coherence function, such as the popular Gaussian-Schell beam model.