Validation of the direct-drive approach to inertial confinement fusion requires the development of a 351-nm wavelength, 30-kJ, 50-TW laser system with flexible pulse shaping and irradiation uniformity approaching 1%. An upgrade of the existing OMEGA direct-drive facility at Rochester is planned to meet these objectives. In this article, we review the design rationale and specifications of the OMEGA Upgrade laser with particular emphasis on techniques planned to achieve the required degree of beam smoothing, temporal pulse shape, and beam-to-beam power balance.

The method of relativistic plasma control (RPC) for generation of single (sub-) attosecond pulses based on high harmonic generation at plasma surface is presented. Use is made of the concept of apparent reflection point (ARP), introduced for the sake of analytical treatment of the plasma dynamics. We show theoretically and numerically that managing the laser polarisation the ARP dynamics can be efficiently controlled and a single ultra-short pulse can be extracted out of the short pulse train generated by a multi-cycle driver. For the sake of future applications the structure of the pulse is studied analytically and numerically by particle-in-cell simulations.

The conventional implosion scheme for high gain and high density compression depends upon the piston action of an accelerated heavy pusher. However, the contact surface between the pusher and the fuel layer is very unstable in the stagnation phase. In this paper, the laser pulse tailoring and the scaling laws for pellet gain, fuel ρR, etc. are discussed under the condition of very weak piston action of the pusher. The scaling laws indicate that the fuel will be ignited by 100 kJ, 0·35 μm wavelength laser irradiation.

Fast electrons are effectively generated from solid targets of cone-geometry by irradiating intense laser pulses, which is applied to fast ignition scheme. For realizing optimal core heating by those electrons, understanding the characteristics of electrons emitted from cone targets is crucial. In this paper, in order to understand the generation and transport processes of hot electrons inside the cone target, two-dimensional (2D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations were carried out. It is shown that hot electrons form current layers which are guided by self-generated surface magnetic field, which results in effective energy transfer from laser pulse to hot electrons. When the hot electrons propagate through the steep density gradient at the cone tip, electrostatic field is induced via Weibel instability. As a result, hot electrons are confined inside and emitted gradually from the target, as an electron beam of long duration. Energy spectrum and temporal profile of hot electrons are also evaluated at the rear side of the target, where the profile of rear side plasma is taken from the fluid code and the result is sent to Fokker-Planck code.

We propose the use of Focused Ion Beam/Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB/SEM) devices for the analysis of ablation results. Ablated samples have been obtained by irradiating an Al planar target with an optically smoothed iodine laser working at 0.44 μm. The interpretation of FIB images shows the high potentiality of the technique.

The three-dimensional (3D) turbulent mixing zone (TMZ) evolution under Rayleigh–Taylor and Richtmyer–Meshkov conditions was studied using two approaches. First, an extensive numerical study was made, investigating the growth of a random 3D perturbation in a wide range of density ratios. Following that, a new 3D statistical model was developed, similar to the previously developed two-dimensional (2D) statistical model, assuming binary interactions between bubbles that are growing at a 3D asymptotic velocity. Confirmation of the theoretical model was gained by detailed comparison of the bubble size distribution to the numerical simulations, enabled by a new analysis scheme that was applied to the 3D simulations. In addition, the results for the growth rate of the 3D bubble front obtained from the theoretical model show very good agreement with both the experimental and the 3D simulation results. A simple 3D drag–buoyancy model is also presented and compared with the results of the simulations and the experiments with good agreement. Its extension to the spike-front evolution, made by assuming the spikes' motion is governed by the single-mode evolution determined by the dominant bubbles, is in good agreement with the experiments and the 3D simulations. The good agreement between the 3D theoretical models, the 3D numerical simulations, and the experimental results, together with the clear differences between the 2D and the 3D results, suggest that the discrepancies between the experiments and the previously developed models are due to geometrical effects.

We present some experimental results on X-ray spectra obtained from plasmas produced using a compact Nd:YAG laser system. The beam was focused on different targets (Cu, Al, Ge,…) and both high resolution and low resolution X-ray spectra were recorded.

The paper is devoted to the study of plasma effects, which are present in laser ablation at relatively high intensity (I ≥ 1012 W/cm2). We start from the classical “two temperature model” of laser ablation (“cold solid approximation”) and we extend it to higher intensities where laser-induced heating and laser-induced changes in the background material become relevant. The new model is also compared to experimental results on laser ablation of solid targets from short pulse lasers at high intensities (up to 1014 W/cm2). Finally, we consider the effects on laser-ablation of laser-generated fast electrons.

In this article, filamentation of a high power laser beam in hot collisionless plasma is investigated considering the ponderomotive nonlinearity. We have studied the effect of self focusing (filamentation) of the laser beam on the localization of ion acoustic wave (IAW) and on stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) process. The nonlinear coupling between the laser beam and IAW results in the modification of the Eigen frequency of IAW; consequently, enhanced Landau damping of IAW and a modified mismatch factor in SBS process occur. Due to enhanced Landau damping, there is a reduction in the intensity of IAW wave, and the SBS process gets suppressed. For the typical laser plasma parameters: the laser power flux = 1016 W/cm2, laser beam radius (r0) = 12 µm, n/ncr = 0.11, and (Te/Ti) = 10, the SBS reflectivity is found to be suppressed approximately by 10%.

The interaction of powerful laser and X-ray pulses with planar low average density (0.5–10 mg/cm3) porous agar-agar targets was experimentally studied. At a laser power density of ∼5 × 1013 W/cm2 (λ = 1.054 μm) the laser light absorption and following energy transfer processes, as well as dynamics of produced plasma were investigated in detail with a variety of optical and X-ray diagnostic methods. Volume absorption is shown to occur in experiments with laser-irradiated agar targets. An extended laser energy deposition region filled with hot (0.8–1 keV) plasma is formed inside a porous target. The laser light absorption efficiency is as high as ∼80%. The emission of 2ω0 and 3ω0/2 harmonics from laser-produced plasma is observed over the time of the laser pulse even with agar targets of 0.5 mg/cm3 average density. Characteristics of energy transfer in low-density porous media are measured in experiments on illumination of agar targets by laser pulses or X rays emitted by a thin Cu converter. The hydrodynamic mechanism is responsible for the energy transfer in laser-illuminated porous targets and the radiative energy transfer seems to be dominant in the case of X-ray irradiation. The experimental data are in reasonable agreement with predictions of a developed theoretical model describing the hot plasma layer formation and the two-stage homogenization process within the illuminated porous targets.

The very clean nuclear fusion reaction of hydrogen and boron-11 by inertial confinement arrives at conditions for power stations by volume ignition only at compressions to 100,000 times the solid state. The earlier (numerically) observed anomaly of decreasing gain at increasing density (retrograde behavior) is analyzed and the reason clarified: the strong stopping power mechanism, based on Gabor's collective model, is reaching its limit of too small Debye lengths at the extremely high densities because of the optimum temperature in the range of 30 keV due to the reabsorption of the bremsstrahlung. The relativistic correction of the bremsstrahlung for the always much higher temperatures after volume ignition is included from Maxon's model.

The remaining challenges, confronting the limited output peak power level of high-power microwave (HPM) sources, stimulate the development of power combining system. This paper reports the design methods and numerical results for a kind of dual-band incoherent power combining architecture applied in HPM. It is particularly effective to radiate dual-band microwave simultaneously, generated by a coaxial dual-band HPM source or two separate HPM sources of different bands. Two types of mode conversion structures, i.e., a dual-band feed line with co-aligned ports and a dual-band feed line with off-aligned ports, are proposed, where coaxial output port itself is adopted to connect the coaxial dual-band horn feed. These two types of feed lines provide a high conversion efficiency of about 98% from TEM or TM01 mode to TE11 mode and a bandwidth of about 10% at each band. The horn feed, with a high power handling capacity, is compact, and a good far-field radiation pattern at each band has been achieved by combining horizontal and vertical corrugations. Thus, the dual-band radiation system has not only realized incoherent power combination, with higher output peak power level, but also is suitable for feeding of, e.g., offset shaped single-reflector antennas in dual-band HPM systems in the future.

Some characteristics of the picosecond laser produced plasma expanding across an externally applied magnetic field (0.6T) have been reported. Two to three times enhancement in X-ray emission from copper plasma has been observed for the laser intensity range ∼5 X 1011 to 5 X 1012 W/cm2. The X-ray yield has been found to increase with an increase in the magnetic field intensity. Enhancement in X-ray emission is correlated with confinement of expanding plasma either in external magnetic field or in high ambient gas pressure. Generation of some highfrequency instability and fast ions was also observed in the plasma along with bouncing of plasma near the β = 1 surface where kinetic pressure of plasma equals magnetic pressure.

We report on the investigation of strong radiative shocks generated with the high energy, sub-nanosecond iodine laser at PALS. These shock waves are characterized by a developed radiative precursor and their dynamics is analyzed over long time scales (~50 ns), approaching a quasi-stationary limit. We present the first preliminary results on the rear side XUV spectroscopy. These studies are relevant to the understanding of the spectroscopic signatures of accretion shocks in Classical T Tauri Stars.

Laser pulses are largely used for processing and analysis of materials and in particular for nano-particle synthesis. This paper addresses fundamentals of the generation of nano-materials following specific thermodynamic paths of the irradiated material. Computer simulations using the hydro code MULTI and the SESAME equation of state have been performed to follow the dynamics of a target initially heated by a short laser pulse over a distance comparable to the metal skin depth.

Stochastic pulsation of laser-plasma interaction in the range of a few to dozens of picoseconds, due to standing wave produced density ripples, needs more attention than in the past, in view of the recent developments. This is important if nanosecond laser pulses produce a pre-compression that is a thousand times the solid state density of DT for fast ignition as well as for treatment of ps laser interaction. The following is an updated summary of these properties where the laser beam smoothing is essential. The use of smoothing is not only an empirical game with experiments for improving the interaction, but it is necessary to be aware of the mechanisms involved for understanding how the pulsation is overcome, and conclusions can be derived systematically for further improvements and control of the phenomena.

Experimental results on measurement of dd-reaction cross sections in the energy range of 0.1–1.5 keV using the Z-pinch technique are presented. The experiment was fulfilled at the high current generator of the High-Current Electronics Institute, city of Tomsk, Russia. The dd-fusion neutrons were registered by time-of-flight scintillator detectors and BF3 detectors of thermal neutrons. The estimates were obtained at 90% of the confidence level for the upper limits of the neutron-producing dd-reaction cross sections for average deuteron collision energies of 0.11, 0.34, 0.37, and 1.46 keV. These results substantiate feasibility to get a cross section magnitude for dd-reaction in the range of the collision energy of 0.8–3 keV using similar technology at the pulse current level of 2–3 MA.

This paper presents a simple but complete 2D model for helical flux-compression generators that overcomes many of the limitations present in existing zero-dimensional models. The generator circuit is effectively decomposed into separate z and; current carrying circuits, with each of the; circuits (rings) corresponding to a different current. Use is also made of a technique by which these rings are sequentially switched out of circuit. The approach proposed opens the way to a full understanding of the behavior of cascade systems of generators inductively coupled by dynamic transformers using the so-called flux-trapping technique. In addition, the model can also yield an important insight into the phenomena that differentiates the performance of small generators when primed by a capacitor, a battery, or an externally produced magnetic field. Finally, the numerical code developed in the paper can readily be adapted to model high-energy and high-current generators in which the helical coil and the armature are of variable geometry. Valuable design information is provided on the magnetic and the electric field distributions within the generator and on the likely radial and axial movements of the stator turns.

Measurements of the ion emission from targets irradiated with neodymium glass and iodine lasers were analyzed and a very significant anomaly observed. The fastest ions with high charge number Z, which usually are of megaelectron volt energy following the relativistic self-focusing and nonlinear-force acceleration theory, were reduced to less than 50 times lower energies when 1.2 ps laser pulses of about 1 J were incident. We clarify this discrepancy by the model of skin depth plasma front interaction in contrast to the relativistic self-focusing with filament generation. This was indicated also from the unique fact that the ion number was independent of the laser intensity. The skin layer theory prescribes prepulse control and lower (near relativistic threshold) laser intensities for nonlinear-force-driven plasma blocks for high-gain ignition similar to light ion beam fusion.

Since 1976, the laser ion source (LIS) has been operated at the Laboratory of High Energies. At present, the LIS is used to perform experiments on relativistic beams of Li, B, C, N, O, F, Mg, and Si nuclei