[en] Solid-state lasers have held great promise for the generation of high-average-power, high-quality output beams for a number of decades. However, the inherent difficulty of scaling the active solid-state gain media while continuing to provide efficient cooling has limited demonstrated powers to <5kW. Even at the maximum demonstrated average powers, the output is most often delivered as continuous wave (CW) or as small energy pulses at high pulse repetition frequency (PRF) and the beam divergence is typically >10X the diffraction limit. Challenges posed by optical distortions and depolarization arising from internal temperature gradients in the gain medium of a continuously cooled system are only increased for laser designs that would attempt to deliver the high average power in the form of high energy pulses (>25J) from a single coherent optical aperture. Although demonstrated phase-locking of multiple laser apertures may hold significant promise for the future scaling of solid-state laser systems,1 the continuing need for additional technical development and innovation coupled with the anticipated complexity of these systems effectively limits this approach for near-term multi-kW laser operation outside of a laboratory setting. We have developed and demonstrated a new operational mode for solid-state laser systems in which the cooling of the gain medium is separated in time from the lasing cycle. In ''heat-capacity'' operation, no cooling takes place during lasing. The gain medium is pumped very uniformly and the waste heat from the excitation process is stored in the solid-state gain medium. By depositing the heat on time scales that are short compared to thermal diffusion across the optical aperture, very high average power operation is possible while maintaining low optical distortions. After a lasing cycle, aggressive cooling can then take place in the absence of lasing, limited only by the fracture limit of the solid-state medium. This mode of operation is ideally suited for applications that require 1-30s engagements at very high average power. If necessary, multiple laser apertures can provide continuous operation. Land Combat mission analysis of a stressing air defense scenario including a dense attack of rockets, mortars, and artillery has indicated that multiple HEL weapon systems, based on the solid state, heat capacity laser concept, can provide significantly improved protection of high value battlefield assets. We will present EADSIM results for two government-supplied scenarios, one with temporally high threat density over a fairly large defended area, and one with fewer threats concentrating on a single defended asset. Implications for weapon system requirements will be presented. In order to demonstrate the operation of a high average power heat-capacity laser system, we have developed a flashlamp-pumped Nd:glass laser with output energies in the range of 500-1000J/pulse in a 10 x 10cm² beam. With a repetition frequency of 20Hz, an average power of 13kW has been demonstrated for operational periods of up to 10s using a stable optical resonator (see enclosed figure). Using an M=1.4 unstable resonator, a beam divergence of 5X diffraction-limited has been measured with no active wavefront correction. An adaptively corrected unstable resonator that incorporates an intracavity deformable mirror controlled by feedback from an external wavefront sensor will provide <2X diffraction-limited output integrated over an entire 10s run at an average power of 10kW. A very similar laser architecture in which the Nd:glass is replaced by Nd:GGG and the flashlamps are replaced by large diode-laser arrays will enable the scaling of the output average power from the demonstrated 10kW to 100kW (500J/pulse at 200Hz). Risk reduction experiments for diode-pumped Nd:GGG, the fabrication of large Nd:GGG amplifier slabs, as well as the progress toward a sub-scale amplifier testbed pumped by diode arrays with total of 1MW peak power will also be presented

[en] An optical switch based on large-aperture plasma-electrode Pockels cells (PEPC) is an important part of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser design. In a PEPC, low-pressure helium discharges (1--2 kA) are formed on both sides of a thin slab of electro-optic material (typically KDP). These discharges form highly conductive, transparent sheets which allow uniform application of a high-voltage (17 kV) across the crystal. A 37 cm x 37 cm PEPC has been in routine operation for two years on the 6 kJ Beamlet laser at LLNL. For the NIF, a module four apertures high by one wide (4 x 1) is required. However, this 4 x 1 mechanical module will be comprised electrically of a pair of 2 x 1 submodules. To achieve uniform electro-optic switching across the entire PEPC aperture, it is important that the plasma density be sufficient high and sufficiently uniform. The authors have observed a number of plasma effects which can degrade plasma uniformity. These include magnetic displacement of the plasma by external return currents and nearby sources of magnetic interference, current channel formation due to plasma self-fields, anode and cathode electrode design, and the potential of the insulated metal housing that surrounds the plasma. They have studied these effects both analytically and experimentally in a 32 cm x 32 cm plastic housing PEPC and more recently in an 80 cm x 40 cm, two-aperture, aluminum-housing PEPC. The results of this work are presented here

[en] The National Ignition Facility (NIF), now under construction at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is based on a multi-pass power amplifier. A key component in this laser design is an optical switch that closes to trap the optical pulse in the cavity for four gain passes and then opens to divert the optical pulse out of the amplifier cavity. The switch is comprised of a Pockels cell and a polarizer and is unique because it handles a beam that is 40 cm x 40 cm square and allows close beam packing in the 4 x 12 clusters for a total of 192 beams. Conventional Pockels cells do not scale to such large apertures or the square shape required for closing packing. The switch is based on a Plasma-Electrode Pockels Cell (PEPC). Recently, the authors demonstrated full operation of a prototype 2 x 1 PEPC. In this PEPC, the plasma spans two KDP crystals. A major advance in the 2 x 1 PEPC over the Beamlet PEPEC is the use of anodized aluminum construction which provides sufficient insulation to allow formation of the planar plasmas. In this paper, they present many interesting design details and experimental results which include observation of plasma and discharge effects which can degrade plasma uniformity including MHD plasma displacement from external return currents, current channel formation, and the effect of housing bias potential

[en] The National Ignition Facility (NIF), now under construction at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, will be the largest laser fusion facility ever built. The NIF laser architecture is based on a multi-pass power amplifier to reduce cost and maximize performance. A key component in this laser design is an optical switch that closes to trap the optical pulse in the cavity for four gain passes and then opens to divert the optical pulse out of the amplifier cavity. The switch is comprised of a Pockels cell and a polarizer and is unique because it handles a beam that is 40 cm x 40 cm square and allows close horizontal and vertical beam spacing. Conventional Pockels cells do not scale to such large apertures or the square shape required for close packing. Our switch is based on a Plasma-Electrode Pockels Cell (PEPC). In a PEPC, low-pressure helium discharges (1-2 kA) are formed on both sides of a thin slab of electro-optic material. Typically, we use KH₂PO₄ crystals (KDP). The discharges form highly conductive, transparent sheets that allow uniform application of a high-voltage pulse (17 kV) across the crystal. A 37 cm x 37 cm PEPC has been in routine operation for two years on the 6 k.J Beamlet laser at LLNL. For the NIF, a module four apertures high by one wide (4x1) is required. However, this 4x1 mechanical module will be comprised electrically of a pair of 2x1 sub-modules. Last year (FY 97), we demonstrated full operation of a prototype 2x1 PEPC. In this PEPC, the plasma spans two KDP crystals. A major advance in the 2x1 PEPC over the Beamlet PEPC is the use of anodized aluminum construction that still provides sufficient insulation to allow formation of the planar plasmas

[en] The design of an adaptive wavefront control system for a high-power Nd:Glass laser will be presented. Features of this system include: an unstable resonator in confocal configuration, a multi-module slab amplifier, and real-time intracavity adaptive phase control using deformable mirrors and high-speed wavefront sensors. Experimental results demonstrate the adaptive correction of an aberrated passive resonator (no gain)

[en] Experiments with a high-power laser beam directed onto thin aluminum sheets, with a large spot size, demonstrate that airflow produces a strong enhancement of the interaction. The enhancement is explained in terms of aerodynamic effects. As laser heating softens the material, the airflow-induced pressure difference between front and rear faces causes the metal to bulge into the beam. The resulting shear stresses rupture the material and remove it at temperatures well below the melting point. The material heating is shown to conform to an elementary model. We present an analytic model of elastic bulging. Scaling with respect to spot size, wind speed, and material parameters is determined.

[en] The distributed phase plate (DPP) design code Zhizhoo ’ has been used to design full- aperture, continuous near-field transmission optics for a wide variety of high-fidelity focal-spot shapes for high-energy laser systems: OMEGA EP, Dynamic Compression Sector (DCS), and the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The envelope shape, or profile, of the focal spot affects the hydrodynamics of directly driven targets in these laser systems. Controlling the envelope shape to a high degree of fidelity impacts the quality of the ablatively driven implosions. The code Zhizhoo ’ not only produces DPP's with great control of the envelope shape, but also spectral and gradient control as well as robustness from near-field phase aberrations. The focal-spot shapes can take on almost any profile from symmetric to irregular patterns and with high fidelity relative to the objective function over many decades of intensity. The control over the near-field phase spectrum and phase gradients offer greater manufacturability of the full- aperture continuous surface-relief pattern. The flexibility and speed of the DPP design code Zhizhoo ’ will be demonstrated by showing the wide variety of successful designs that have been made and those that are in progress. (paper)

[en] We have characterized the Advanced Radiographic Capability injection laser system and demonstrated that it meets performance requirements for upcoming National Ignition Facility fusion experiments. Pulse compression was achieved with a scaled down replica of the meter-scale grating ARC compressor and sub-ps pulse duration was demonstrated at the Joule-level

[en] We are converting a quad of NIF beamlines into eight, short-pulse (1-50 ps), petawatt-class beams for advanced radiography and fast ignition experiments. This paper describes progress toward completing this project.

[en] We have characterized the Advanced Radiographic Capability injection laser system and demonstrated that it meets performance requirements for upcoming National Ignition Facility fusion experiments. Pulse compression was achieved with a scaled down replica of the meter-scale grating ARC compressor and sub-ps pulse duration was demonstrated at the Joule-level.