National Ignition Facility: The World's Largest Optics and Laser System

摘要

The National Ignition Facility, a center for the study of high energy density plasma physics and fusion energy ignition, is currently under construction at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The heart of the NIF is a frequency tripled, flashlamp-pumped Nd:glass laser system comprised of 192 independent laser beams. The laser system is capable of generating output energies of 1.8MJ at 351nm and at peak powers of 500 TW in a flexible temporal pulse format. A description of the NIF laser system and its major components is presented. We also discuss the manufacture of nearly 7500 precision large optics required by the NIF including data on the manufactured optical quality vs. specification. In addition, we present results from an on-going program to improve the operational lifetime of optics exposed to high fluence in the 351-nm section of the laser.