Finite temperature dense matter studies on next-generation light sources

The construction of short-pulse tunable soft x-ray free electron laser sources based on the self-amplified spontaneous emission process will provide a major advance in capability for dense plasma-related and warm dense matter (WDM) research. The sources will provide 10(13) photons in a 200-fs duration pulse that is tunable from approximately 6 to 100 nm. Here we discuss only two of the many applications made possible for WDM that has been severely hampered by the fact that laser-based methods have been unavailable because visible light will not propagate at electron densities of n(e) greater than or equal to 10(22) cm(-3). The next-generation light sources will remove these restrictions. (C) 2003 Optical Society of America.