The presentation order of the included topics comes from the following conceptual description of the conversion of laser light into useful EUV radiation: Energy is deposited into the plasma via absorption of laser light, primarily into a localized region near the critical surface. The energy heats the plasma within a more extended region determined by electron conduction, producing both ionization and hydrodynamic motion in the heated region. Radiation from the heated plasma, emitted by excited atomic states, then transits the plasma, being absorbed and re-emitted before exiting the plasma.
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