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X-Ray Lasing: the Novette Laser

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X-Ray Lasing: the Novette Laser X-Ray Lasing: The Novelle Laser Although the Novette laser system served primarily as a test bed for advanced concepts of targets and lasers for the Nova system, its flexibility enabled us to use it for research that led to the world's first demonstration of x-ray lasing. ver the past decade, we have harmonic conversion for producing For further information contact built a series of ever more light of higher frequencies (that is, Kenneth R. Manes (415) 423-6207. O powerful and complex laser shorter wavelengths). With Novette, systems Ganus, Argus, Shiva, and now we demonstrated a system for Nova) devoted to research on inertial routinely generating powerful beams confinement fusion (ICF) and weapon of green (0.53-pm) and ultraviolet physics. However, the Novette laser (0.35- and 0.26-pm) light, greatly Fig. 1 system (Fig. 1) did not fit neatly into broadening the range of feasible Artist's rendering of the business end of this series. Although it shared physics experiments. We confirmed the Novette laser system, showing the target characteristics of the other lasers, such that laser-plasma coupling, and chamber, the harmonic-conversion arrays, and the extensive diagnostic instrumentation. as master-oscillator power-amplifier therefore the performance of the rCF The laser amplifier chains are out of the (MOPA) architecture, neodymium­ capsules, is greatly enhanced if green picture, folded trombone style to fit into the glass amplifiers, and a 1.053-pm or ultraviolet light is used instead of available space. fundamental wavelength, in many ways Novette was considerably less complex than its predecessor, the Shiva laser. The primary function of the Novette laser was to serve as a test bed for the Nova laser system, and for this neither extreme energy nor great complexity was required. Once the Nova design was proved, the Novette laser would be dismantled and its parts incorporated into the Nova system. In its short two-year life, however, Novette was very productive. It enabled us to conduct one series of experiments that greatly enlarged our understanding of laser­ plasma coupling and another that led to the first-ever demonstration of soft-x-ray lasing. Novette was the first LLNL laser system to incorporate full-power 15 infrared light. Using light of shorter amplifier stages with increasingly wavelengths, we investigated in detail larger apertures. The spatial filters the mechanisms by which laser light minimize local intensity fluctations interacts with a plasma; we also were and keep the maximum laser flux able to produce the conditions below optical-damage limits. The peak necessary to demonstrate x-ray lasing. output flux from each amplifier stage is near its operating limit. By ovette Design maximizing the efficiency with which The Novette laser consisted each amplifier's aperture is used N of two identical power (the fill factor), we minimize the peak amplifier chains, fed by a single laser flux that each optical component master oscillator, and terminating at a must tolerate to produce a given common focal point. Figure 2 shows output. the layout of one of the amplifier The major design contraint on chains and indicates the generic origin the maximum energy delivered by of the various components. The beam each amplifier stage is the damage leaves the master oscillator with a threshold of its optical components, diameter of about 1.5 mm and which in turn depends on the purity emerges from the amplifier chain at of the optical medium, the optical an intensity of about 2 GW/cm2 and surface, the pulse duration, and the enlarged to a diameter of 74 cm. wavelength of the laser light. To raise At the master oscillator, the laser the damage threshold in the Novette beam is spatially Gaussian. As laser, optical components, including the beam proceedes through the spatial-filter lenses, windows, and preamplifier, it is expanded and then target-focusing lenses, are treated passed through an aperture that by a neutral-solution process that allows only the smoothest central produces an antireflection surface. l region to exit the preamplifier and Such treated optics display excellent enter each of the power-amplifier transmission (near 100%) and have arms. In each arm, seven beam­ surface-damage thresholds expanding spatial filters separate approaching those of the bulk material (12 to 16 J/cm2 for 1-ns pulses). 9.4 Janus The components most vulnerable size to laser-induced damage are the input lenses to the last two spatial filters. Argus·Shiva The neutral-solution antireflection size treatment on these surfaces survived unharmed after being subjected to Novette­ 74cm more than 100 shots of 1-ns duration {''''~il\ /\ /\ 1\ 1\ 11\1 1\ 1\ 1\. Nova 2 .J L.J with average fluxes of 5 to 7 J/cm size 31.S-cm disk amplifiers 46-cm disk amplifiers and peak fluxes twice as large. In fact, the practical flux . limit for these lenses Box is now bulk damage (due to ~ amplifier microscopic metallic particles in the glass) rather than surface damage. t><J Spatial filter VI Faraday isolator f/4 focusing lens armonic Conversion KDP doubling array ~ Mirror ~ To convert the 1.053-,um Infrared beam dump H infrared light (the Fig. 2 fundamental frequency of neodymium-glass lasers) to the Schematic diagram showing the architecture of the Novette laser's two amplifier chains (only one is shown) and the relationship of the various components to our previous master-oscillator power­ desired shorter wavelengths, we use amplifier lasers. Novette served as a test bed for the advanced designs to be used in the Nova crystals of potassium dihydrogen laser, and its components are now functioning in that system. phosphate (KDP), a nonlinear, 16 INERTIAL FUSION birefringent material. With Novette, however, it usually takes considerably we demonstrated that we could scale more than two hours to set up and up this process to the high beam align the target and the necessary powers and large apertures required diagnostic instruments. for the Nova system. Figure 4 is a chart of the high­ In doing so, we had to overcome energy laser shots made with Novette. the problem presented by the Those in blue-gray were diagnostic- enormous size of the Novette optics. We needed to convert beams 74 cm in Fig. 3 diameter, but the largest KDP crystals An array of potassium dihydrogen phosphate available were less than 30 cm across (KDP) crystals for converting infrared laser and it takes a year or more to grow light to visible (green) light. By placing another KDP crystals even to this size. similar array in series with this one, it is Therefore, we pieced the available possible to produce light in the ultraviolet region. smaller crystals together into 74-cm­ diameter arrays; we built 2S-element arrays of IS-cm crystals and 9-element arrays of 27-cm crystals (Fig. 3). To ensure that the crystals are held in proper alignment, they and their supporting framework are sandwiched between flat windows (treated by the neutral-solution process for maximum transmission). A selective optical filter is placed directly after the KDP array to pass green light but stop any unconverted infrared light. Handling and focusing the green light is relatively straightforward because we can use the same optical I I materials and coating technologies July I I developed for infrared ligh t. I I Ultraviolet light, however, poses a Fig. 4 I I number of problems since most Diagram showing April I I optical glasses have low damage how the rate of use thresholds, high nonlinear refractive I 1 of the Novette laser indices, and a tendency to darken I I improved with prac­ (solarize) in this spectral range. We January I I tice. The blue-gray bars represent laser­ I I have found solutions to these system diagnostic problems for the Nova laser and I I calibrations and have proved them out in Novette October 1 1 laser-related experi­ experiments. However, because they I I ments, the gray bars could not be implemented rapidly represent x-ray laser I I experiments, and the enough to meet the schedule for our M July blue bars represent co t=J x-ray laser studies, we were restricted a> I 1 all other plasma­ to green light for these experiments. I I physics and ICF ex­ periments. The April I 1 steady improvement I I ser Operation in shot rate in the I I x-ray laser experi­ It takes about two hours to ments was made January I I cool Novette's amplifiers after possible by the use t N co I of a standard target a shot and to realign the laser arms a> for the next shot. Theoreticall y then, I configuration and a coherent, well­ I I I I I we should be able to fire eight shots planned program for in a 16-hour working day, or 160 o 10 20 30 40 50 60 exploring the param- shots each month. In practice, Number of shots eter space. 17 system calibrations and laser-related incorporated in the Nova laser. experiments, those in gray were These included modifications to the x-ray laser experiments, and those in amplifiers, especially the larger ones, blue were all other plasma-physics insertion of an apodizer plate to experiments. The striking feature of protect the frequency conversion this chart is the high shot rate attained array, monitoring and specification in the x-ray laser campaign, in of beam parameters with detailed contrast to the performance in the computer modeling, and the other plasma-physics experiments. introduction of astigmatism to create This was possible because, in the the elongated focal spot required for x-ray laser experiments, we were able the x-ray laser experiments.
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