[en] One way to get the fusion of hydrogen in laboratory consists in heating and compressing a DT fuel capsule by using a laser. To reach this aim requires a new generation of high power laser facility. Cea (French board for atomic energy) is developing for this purpose a new 240 laser line facility, the LMJ facility. The LIL which is the prototype of four LMJ laser lines is operational now. In order to confirm the technical choices, a systematic characterization of LIL was carried out. A particular effort has been provided to measure the 3ω high energy focal spot (1.5 kJ/700 ps and 5 ns for one beam) and the synchronization of laser beams onto the target, which are key issues for the plasma production. An experimental device, SAT-3ω (a 3ω laser focal spot analysis) has been designed to perform these measures. That diagnostic which is located at the end of the laser lines delivered its first results during the 2004 quadruplet qualification campaigns. The near field imaging showed no diaphony and vignetting. Low power spots allowed us to control we had no ghost. The energy measurement quality showed the photometric transfer function was perfectly known. Our caustic image are given with an average dynamic range of 800, a spatial resolution of 10 μm and diameter accuracy about 1% for 50% and 3% for 90% of encircled energy. The high energy focal spot diameters are in agreement with low and very low energy diameters. The phase plate and 14 GHz effects are similar to what we had expected. For a laser shot completed with a continuous phase plate at 14 GHz, and for an energy level of 1.5 kJ per beam at 351 nm, the focal beam diameter at 3% of the peak level is (875 ± 45) μm

[en] On the Laser Integration Line (LIL) facility at Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA) near Bordeaux (France), streak cameras (SCs) are extensively used as X-ray detectors by plasma physicists for the recording of transient phenomena as short as 100 ps. For proper interpretation of the experimental results measurements of the SC yield are carried out before each experimental campaign. The yield is actually an indirect measurement that depends on several other measured quantities. The uncertainty associated with the yield is evaluated using the analytical GUM approach and the Monte Carlo (MC) approach using GUM Supplement 1. It is shown in particular that in the assessment process the standard uncertainty and the probability density function of some input quantities propagate through polynomial fitting functions and integrals. A sensitivity analysis is also performed to identify the critical input quantities. The study shows that after correction of the manufacturer's fact sheet the GUM evaluation converges to MC evaluation when the uncertainties associated with non-linear input quantities become small. When propagating uncertainties through integrals it is observed that the uncertainty of the output quantity is mainly dominated by strong correlation effects with the covariance components adding up to produce large uncertainties. Finally, by comparing the experimental yield with a theoretical model good agreement is found. (authors)

[en] A Velocity Interferometer for Any Reflector (VISAR) [1, 2] and a Streaked Optical Pyrometer (SOP) [3] were implemented on the 'Ligne integration Laser' (LIL) facility. Spatial resolution as good as 10 μm in the target plane and velocity resolution as good as 0.1 km/s can be achieved. Several campaigns were performed in 2010 involving various experimental setups and physical processes: Boron EOS, Pre-compress H₂ with special setup of diamond anvil cell and Shock coalescence. This feedback will be of a great help for the Laser Megajoule facility (LMJ) VISAR design. (authors)

[en] The laser integration line (LIL) facility is currently a 4-beam prototype for the laser Megajoule (LMJ). Following LIL single beamline commissioning in 2003, where performance in terms of power and energy required for LMJ was demonstrated, we spent year 2004 to qualify the quadruplet (or quad) performance at 1ω/3ω. Over that year, the first quad high power and high energy laser experiments took place on LIL facility. A careful set of test campaigns were conducted to safely ramp up laser performance. The main goal was to measure quad-specific features such as beam synchronization and focal spot (size, smoothing contrast ratio or irradiation nonuniformity σ(rms) versus the LMJ requirements. LIL Quad beam waist was recorded for various pulse durations, smoothing techniques and for a wide range of laser intensities up to LMJ-nominal ones. Now, LIL quad has been commissioned to the center of the target chamber and the first plasma experiments are made. (authors)

[en] The Petawatt Aquitaine Laser (PETAL) facility was designed and constructed by the French Commissariat a l'energie atomique et aux energies alternatives (CEA) as an additional PW beamline to the Laser MegaJoule (LMJ) facility. PETAL energy is limited to 1 kJ at the beginning due to the damage threshold of the final optics. In this paper, we present the commissioning of the PW PETAL beamline. The first kJ shots in the amplifier section with a large spectrum front end, the alignment of the synthetic aperture compression stage and the initial demonstration of the 1.15 PW at 850 J operations in the compression stage are detailed. Issues encountered relating to damage to optics are also addressed. (authors)