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On the use of KrF lasers for fast ignition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2008

I.B. Földes*
Affiliation:
KFKI-Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, Association EURATOM HAS, Budapest, Hungary
S. Szatmári
Affiliation:
University of Szeged, Department of Experimental Physics, Budapest, Hungary
*
Address correspondence and reprint request to: I.B. Földes, KFKI-Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, Association EURATOM HAS, H-1525 Budapest, P.O. Box 49. Hungary. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

The KrF laser has been considered as an inertial fusion driver alternative to diode-pumped lasers. The possibilities of KrF lasers for fast ignition is supported by their short wavelength and the corresponding larger penetration depth together with the possible use of the same amplifiers for fusion driver and fast ignitor. It is shown that in the case of a fusion test facility both the energy and the intensity requirements can be fulfilled. A fast ignitor using 20 ps KrF pulses requires beam smoothing techniques after angular multiplexing due to the coherence of the beam. A multiple beam fast ignitor is suggested as an alternative in which a high number of beams of 1 ps duration are separately focused on the fuel after polarization demultiplexing. This arrangement allows even the pulse-forming of the ignitor.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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References

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