In this paper we introduce designs that provide short duration megajoule pulses of ¼ micron wavelength light at efficiencies near ten percent.

Plasmas with long life times (∼20 ns) are generated in a cavity target by intense CO2 laser pulses (2 × 1014W/cm2). The plasma life depends on the configuration of irradiation and target, which may infer thermal conduction inhibition by the laser-generated magnetic field. The experimental results agree with those of computer simulations with magnetic inhibition of thermal conduction.

This paper presents the multigigawatt single-beam CO2 laser system and the configuration and the main subsystems of the 0.5 TW four-beam CO2 laser system being built at the IPPLM. Selected construction details and early test results are given.

The wavelength scalings of soft X-ray and hot electron generation efficiencies were studied using 1·05, 0·53, 0·35 and 0·26 μm lasers. A coupling efficiency from absorbed laser energy to compressed fuel core of 4.5% was obtained by using the GEKKO XII green laser.

Aurora is a short-pulse high-power krypton-fluoride laser system that serves as an end-to-end technology demonstration prototype for large-scale ultraviolet laser systems of interest for short wavelength inertial confinement fusion (ICF) studies. The system is designed to employ optical angular multiplexing and serial amplification by electron-beam-driven KrF laser amplifiers to deliver 248 nm, 5-ns duration multi-kilojoule laser pulses to ICF targets using a beam train of approximately 1 km in length.

In this paper, we will discuss the goals for the system and summarize the design features of the major system components: front-end lasers, amplifier train, optical train, and the alignment and controls systems.

Numerical analysis of the kinetics in an e-beam excited KrF laser medium demonstrates the feasibility of a compact KrF fusion driver operating at high intensity (∼100MW/cm2) and intrinsic efficiency (∼20%) in a Kr/F2 mixture. Some primitive concepts of KrF fusion driver modules are discussed.

Using radial plasma acceleration in a laser beam, an alternative type of free electron laser has been developed by radial injection of electrons. Its properties have been elaborated for a laser amplifier of 400 μtm wavelength. To overcome the difficulties of this FEL, a basically new laser amplifier concept has been developed where a laser pulse is amplified by nearly lateral injection of solid particles (clusters, pellets etc.) whose kinetic energy (at appropriate adjustment and synchronisation) is converted into 80% optical energy of the laser pulse. The mechanism of energy transfer is the radial slowing down by nonlinear ponderomotive forces of the plasma made from the cluster reaching the beam axis, and the switching-off process of the beam with regard to the transient nonlinear force processes. It is an inversion of the plasma ejection with ponderomotive self-focussing. Apart from the unusually high efficiency, a relatively high gain is expected even for such small laser wavelengths as 10 nm. Furthermore, the difficult problem of modification of phase fronts and convergence (focussing, directing of X-ray beams) should be solved by the optical plasma properties at injection.

This paper discusses the general requirements for inertial confinement fusion, technology requirements and choices, overall efficiencies, and laser system costs for scaling krypton fluoride amplifiers to high energy, and describes the design of a 100 kilojoule double-pass KrF power amplifier.

We describe here a new oscillator that performs the three functions of aligning, mode-locking, and Q-switching.

This paper presents the design of the four-channel Nd: glass high power laser system in the Kaliski Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (IPPLM) in its optimized version, based on a theoretical analysis of propagation of radiation in the real laser channel.

We have compensated for gain saturation in the Nova amplifiers by producing shaped input optical pulses. A silicon switch device generates kilovolt electrical pulses for driving pockels cells. The pulse shape is easily controllable with subnanosecond resolution.

The paper reviews a number of X-ray streak cameras developed at AWRE. These cameras are used to provide temporal and one-dimensional spatial or spectral information on X-rays emitted from laser produced plasmas. Two of these cameras have been designed to be combined with other diagnostic instrumentation; one with a Wolter X-ray microscope (×22 magnification) and the other with a Bragg diffraction crystal spectrometer. This latter instrument provides a few eV spectral resolution and ∼15 ps temporal resolution; a typical experimental application at the AWRE HELEN laser facility will be described. The paper describes the circuitry of the bipolar avalanche transistor ramp generator used to drive the streak plates of the cameras. Improvements to this include: (a) increasing the fastest streak rate to ∼10 ps mm−1 by a distributed capacitance network across each of the bipolar stacks of transistors, and (b) reducing the trigger jitter to approximately ±10 ps by the use of a new mix of transistors in the stack and a Raytheon RS 3500 avalanche transistor. Additional improvements have now been added. These include a ‘half-scan’ user facility to aid initial camera timing and direct switching to select the sweep rate of the camera.