An overview of Aurora: a multi-kilojoule KrF laser system for inertial confinement fusion

Rosocha, Louis A.; Bowling, P.S.; Burrows, M. D.; Kang, Myung Koo; Hanlon, J.; McLeod, J. B.; York, G. W.

doi:10.1017/s0263034600001622

Cited by 36 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…laser-plasma interaction during the past two decades at 0.1-10.0 kJ-class single-shot KrF facilities AURORA (Los Alamos National Laboratory; LANL) (Rosocha et al, 1986(Rosocha et al, , 1987Harris et al, 1993), NIKE Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) (Obenschain et al, 1996;Pawley et al, 1997Pawley et al, , 1999Aglitskiy et al, 2002), SPRITE (RAL) National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Shaw et al, 1993(Shaw et al, , 1999Divall et al, 1996), ASHURA National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIS & T) (Owadano et al, 1989(Owadano et al, , 1993(Owadano et al, , 1999(Owadano et al, , 2001 and GARPUN Lebedev Physical Institute (LPI) (Basov et al, 1993;Zvorykin & Lebo, 1999;Zvorykin et al, 2001Zvorykin et al, , 2004Zvorykin et al, , 2006aWang et al, 2002), and especially at rep-rate Electra laser (NRL) (Sethian et al, 1998Wolford et al, 2006) have proved that e-beam-pumped KrF laser might be the best challenge for direct-drive ICF power plant. To satisfy physical and economical requirements, they should be scaled to output energies of 30-60 kJ per one module, operating all together with the total laser energy of $2 MJ at rep-rate of 5 Hz and overall system efficiency of 7.5% (Svyatoslavsky et al, 1992;Von Rosenberg, 1992;McGeoch et al, 1997;Sethian et al, 2003).…”

Section: Krf Drivers In the Fast-ignition Icf Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

GARPUN-MTW: A hybrid Ti:Sapphire/KrF laser facility for simultaneous amplification of subpicosecond/nanosecond pulses relevant to fast-ignition ICF concept

Зворыкин

Didenko²,

Ионин

et al. 2007

Laser Part. Beams

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The first stage of the petawatt excimer laser project started at the P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, implements a development of multiterawatt hybrid GARPUN-MTW laser facility for generation of ultra-high intensity subpicosecond ultraviolet (UV) laser pulses. Under this project, a multi-stage e-beam-pumped 100-J, 100-ns GARPUN KrF laser was upgraded with a femtosecond Ti:Sapphire front-end, to produce combined subpicosecond/nanosecond laser pulses with variable time delay. Attractive possibility to amplify simultaneously short and long pulses in the same large-scale KrF amplifiers is analyzed with regard to the fast-ignition, inertial confinement fusion problem. Detailed description of hybrid laser system is presented with synchronized KrF and Ti:Sapphire master oscillators. Based on gain and absorption measurements at GARPUN amplifier and numerical simulations with a quasi-stationary code, we are predicting that 1.6 J can be obtained in a short pulse at hybrid GARPUN-MTW Ti:Sapphire/KrF laser facility, combined with several tens of joules in nanosecond pulse. Amplified spontaneous emission, which is responsible for the pre-pulse formation on a target, was also investigated: its acceptable level can be provided by properly choosing staged gain or loading the amplifiers by quasi-steady laser radiation. Fluorescence and transient absorption spectra of Ar/Kr/F 2 mixtures conventionally used in KrF amplifiers were recorded to find out the possibility for femtosecond pulse amplification at the broadband Kr 2 F (4 2 G ! 1,2 2 G) transition, which benefits in 100 times higher saturation energy density than for KrF (B ! X) transition.

show abstract

Section: Krf Drivers In the Fast-ignition Icf Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

GARPUN-MTW: A hybrid Ti:Sapphire/KrF laser facility for simultaneous amplification of subpicosecond/nanosecond pulses relevant to fast-ignition ICF concept

Зворыкин

Didenko²,

Ионин

et al. 2007

Laser Part. Beams

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Investigations of both laser physics and laser-plasma interaction performed with single-shot KrF facilities AURORA (LANL, USA) [1], NIKE (NRL, USA) [2], SPRITE (RAL, UK) [3], ASHURA (AIS&T, Japan) [4], HEAVEN-I (CIAE, China) [5], and GARPUN (LPI, Russia) [6] and especially with rep-rate ELECTRA laser (NRL, USA) [7] have proved that e-beam-pumped KrF laser might be the best challenge for the direct-drive Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) [8]. Fusion Test Facility (FTF) [9] with twenty angular-multiplexed 28-kJ amplifiers operating uninterruptedly at 5 Hz for two years (≥3·10 8 shots) with efficiency ≥ 6% is the next milestone on the path to KrF IFE.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quests for inertial fusion energy conducted at GARPUN KrF laser facility

Зворыкин

Arlantsev²,

Gaynutdinov

et al. 2008

J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Successful experiments coupling laser energy to targets, and our understanding of fuel capsule behavior strongly suggest that a Laboratory thermonuclear source is attainable and power production may be considered if a suitable driver with high efficiency, high repetition rate, and most importantly, low capital cost, can be identified. No adequate driver exists today; however, the krypton fluoride laser holds great promise (Rosocha et al 1986). By the end of this decade, driver development can be brought to the point that a technically justifiable choice can be made for the future direction of ICF.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At Los Alamos we are constructing a complete system, named Aurora (Rosocha et al 1986), which will demonstrate end-to-end operation of a multiplexed KrF laser. This laser will produce in excess of 5 kJ in a short (5 ns) pulse which can be used to irradiate ICF targets.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Excimer laser development for fusion

Giovanielli¹

1986

Laser Part. Beams

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The future utility of inertial confinement fusion requires a new driver. Successful experiments coupling laser energy to targets, and our understanding of fuel capsule behavior strongly suggest that a Laboratory thermonuclear source is attainable and power production may be considered if a suitable driver with high efficiency, high repetition rate, and most importantly, low capital cost, can be identified. No adequate driver exists today; however, the krypton fluoride laser holds great promise (Rosocha et al. 1986). By the end of this decade, driver development can be brought to the point that a technically justifiable choice can be made for the future direction of ICF.The understanding we have gained through research on inertial confinement fusion (ICF) has led us to a rather well substantiated and stringent set of requirements. We now know, for example, that for ICF to represent a potential future large-scale energy source, we need: (1) a driver with a wall-plug efficiency (drive energy out compared to electrical energy input) of at least 7% at a repetition rate greater than 5 Hz, (2) a target gain such that the product of target gain and driver efficiency exceeds 5, and (3) a strong technical justification for eventual low capital cost. In fact these requirements depend on what other alternative power sources are available in the next century, but generally they represent a set of minimum criteria which must be met if ICF is to be an economically competitive source of energy.Although we have made great progress in our understanding of driver-target coupling and in the design of fusion capsules, we today have no driver capable of testing our high-gain designs, and certainly no proven driver which could be scaled to use in power production. One of the most promising drivers to be considered, the CO 2 laser, was indeed efficient, scalable, and capable of high repetition rate operation. However, detailed examination of the physics involved when high intensity long wavelength laser light irradiates target materials has shown that significantly shorter wavelengths than that obtainable from CO 2 lasers will be necessary as well. In fact, our data and calculations have shown that, to optimize the laser-target interaction process we would prefer to have a wavelength in the region of 200 nm.Ion drivers have been considered for some time, and such drivers have the immediate advantage of high efficiency. Light ion drivers offer low capital cost but have not been able to demonstrate either high power density, high repetition rate, adequate temporal history of the pulse, or sufficient stand-off distance between target and driver. Work continues at several laboratories to address and solve these problems, but we cannot be guaranteed of successful solutions today. Heavy ion drivers offer the potential of high efficiency and high repetition rate but at considerably higher cost than light ion drivers and the issues of obtaining adequate stand-off (beam propagation) and pulse shaping are still major questions.Lasers, with their ...

show abstract

An overview of Aurora: a multi-kilojoule KrF laser system for inertial confinement fusion

Cited by 36 publications

References 4 publications

GARPUN-MTW: A hybrid Ti:Sapphire/KrF laser facility for simultaneous amplification of subpicosecond/nanosecond pulses relevant to fast-ignition ICF concept

GARPUN-MTW: A hybrid Ti:Sapphire/KrF laser facility for simultaneous amplification of subpicosecond/nanosecond pulses relevant to fast-ignition ICF concept

Quests for inertial fusion energy conducted at GARPUN KrF laser facility

Excimer laser development for fusion

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About