ABSTRACT
The Maxwell-Bloch equations are used to study the coupled evolutions of radiation intensity and ionic-state populations in a cylindrical plasma giving rise to an x-ray laser. The level degeneracies are explicitly taken into account. Electric-dipole interactions between the radiation and the medium are considered. Calculations are performed with the usual paraxial approximation. Numerical results relative to the neon-like germanium laser are presented. This theory correctly describes the gradual transition to the saturation regime and generalizes the current simple theory of amplification of spontaneous emission.
