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Frequency Conversion of the Nova Laser

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Frequency Conversion of the Nova Laser Frequency Conversion of the Nova Laser Arrays of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystals are used to convert the infrared light of the Nova laser to shorter wavelengths in the visible and near­ ultraviolet for improved target performance. For further information contact he performance of inertial­ coherent and virtually lossless. The Mark A. Summers (415) 423-2861. confinement fusion (ICF) generation of harmonics in optically T targets is known to improve at nonlinear media is the best laser wavelengths shorter than 111m, understood frequency-conversion for example near 0.5 or 0.3 11m (visible technique, the one that provides most green or near-ultraviolet light). At control over beam quality, and the these shorter wavelengths, ICF targets one adopted at LLNL. absorb more light and the deleterious In the process of harmonic preheating of the fusion fuel is generation, very intense laser light reduced. However, most high-power incident on a transparent, optically lasers considered for fusion nonlinear medium interacts with the applications operate either near 10 11m material's atomic structure to generate (the carbon dioxide laser) or near electromagnetic radiation with 111m (Nd:glass lasers). Therefore, frequencies that are multiples of the to produce the desired shorter frequency of the incident light (see the wavelengths, we have two choices. box1 on p. 4). Such multiples are Either we can develop a completely known as harmonics of the new short-wavelength laser, or we can fundamental frequency. These convert the fundamental frequency of harmonics are commonly designated an existing I-11m laser using a as lw, 2w, 3w, etc., where lw is the technique called harmonic generation. fundamental frequency, 2w is the Frequency conversion of Nd:glass second harmonic, 3w is the third lasers has been pursued at LLNL and harmonic, etc. For Nd:glass lasers, elsewhere as the more reliable and lw corresponds to a wavelength of cost-effective approach to obtaining 1.05 11m, in the near-infrared; 2w shorter wavelengths. corresponds to a wavelength of In principle, any physical 0.527 11m, green near the spectral peak phenomenon that changes the for visible light; and 3w corresponds frequency of light is a candidate for to 0.351 11m, in the near-ultraviolet frequency conversion. In practice, just beyond the visible spectrum. however, since we also require a focusable output, a high conversion istory efficiency, and a high damage Frequency conversion of laser threshold, frequency conversion must H light was first demonstrated be based on a phenomenon that is in the 1960s, when experimenters 2 INERTIAL FUSION passed the deep red light of a ruby By 1980, frequency conversion as laser through a quartz crystal, applied to ICF laser systems was well producing a harmonic in the established. The nonlinear material of ultraviolet range.2 At about the same choice, KDP, had been used to time, other researchers demonstrated demonstrate conversion efficiencies conversion of the infrared output of greater than 50% on high-power laser an Nd:YAG laser to an ultraviolet systems around the world at aperture harmonic by illuminating a crystal diameters as large as 15 cm. The next of potassium dihydrogen phosphate challenge was to scale up the (KDP) .3 frequency-conversion systems to the This frequency-conversion Nova size (74-cm aperture). capability greatly increased the Construction of the Nova flexibility of neodymium-based laser frequency-conversion system has media (e.g., Nd:YAG, Nd:YLF, and required considerable technology Nd:glass). In fact, the potential for development. Over the last five years, high performance at short the most significant achievements in wavelengths was one reason we the technology of large-aperture selected the Nd:glass laser system frequency conversion have been: over the much-longer-wavelength • A new geometry for KDP crystals carbon dioxide laser for ICF research, that efficiently produces both 2m and since the benefits of target irradiation 3m light. with short wavelengths had been • Methods for fabricating large anticipated.4 plates of KDP crystals accurately Through the 1970s, frequency­ aligned in relation to their conversion techniques were applied to crystallographic axes. Nd:glass laser systems in this country • Techniques for mounting the and abroad. The research team at KDP plates in large arrays. KMS Fusion, Inc. (Ann Arbor, • A high-damage-threshold Michigan), was the first to conduct antireflection coating for KDP. plasma physics experiments using the second harmonic (2m) of an Nd:glass DP Geometry laser. They used a KDP crystal with a The Nova frequency­ clear aperture approximately 10 cm in K conversion system is an diameter.s At Ecole Poly technique in extremely simple and flexible device France, ICF laser-plasma interaction that can efficiently produce 2m or 3m characteristics were measured at the light. Third-harmonic (3m) light is second (2m) and fourth (4m) generated using a method first harmonics of Nd:glass, again using developed at the University of KDP.6 Researchers at the University Rochester's LLE,7 where two KDP of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser crystals are mounted in series or Energetics (LLE) characterized the "cascade." The first KDP crystal plasma conditions at the third converts some of the 1m light to 2m harmonic (3m) using KDP,7 light, with a conversion efficiency of Here at Livermore, the Argus laser approximately 67%. A second KDP system was frequency-converted to crystal, oriented differently, mixes the study plasma conditions at 2m, 3m, 2m light with residual 1m light from and 4m.8 With the Novette laser, the the first crystal to produce 3m light, advantage of ICF implosions using with an intrinsic conversion efficiency shorter wavelengths was clearly approaching 90%. demonstrated at the multikilojoule At Livermore, we recognized that a level, where, by irradiating targets modification of an LLE design would with visible (2m) light, higher fuel efficiently and conveniently produce densities were achieved than had 2m as well as 3m light. Two KDP been possible with Shiva experiments crystals, optimized for 3m conversion, using the infrared fundamental (1m) are oriented so that they produce two wavelength.9 components of 2m light, orthogonally 3 HarlDonic Generation When a low-intensity light wave propagates through Laser pulses typically have a spectral brightness a transparent medium, it drives the electron cloud of the (power density per steradian-hertz) many orders of constituent atoms into oscillation (a). This oscillating magnitude greater than that of incoherent sources. It is electric charge constitutes a polarization wave that gives this property that enables a laser pulse to produce a rise to a radiated wave. The radiated wave represents more vigorous oscillation of the electron cloud. The the usual "linear" response of the medium to the electrons may be displaced from their equilibrium incident light. Because the oscillatory motion of the position by a distance many times larger than the truly electrons follows the vibratory motion of the driving minute excursion induced at low intensity. As a result, field, the radiated wave is of the same frequency as the electrons come closer to neighboring atoms, probing the incident wave. The wave thus emerges from the their repulsive potential with each oscillatory cycle. This transparent medium with its frequency unchanged but process enables the structure of the medium to influence with a phase delay that depends on the material's the frequency of light radiated by the oscillating refractive index. This applies to all low-intensity light electrons. If the strength of the repulsion experienced by waves passing through transparent media. an electron driven by intense laser light is asymmetric (different in opposite directions), its motion will be biased (b). If we decompose an electron's motion into its frequency components, they appear at multiples of the (a) input frequency, 1m (c). For a centrosymmetric site, the components appear at odd multiples (mostly 3m and, to Atomic site ~." h,,. La.. ,. , • • ",,;00 a vastly smaller extent, Sm). For an asymmetric site, we obtain both odd and even multiples. By far the strongest ;/;;:\f ) of these is 2m and, in order of rapidly decreasing rv-v+ ( .' ..... ~ .' rv-v+ strength, 3m, 4m, and higher frequencies. (There is also Incident wave " 1/ Transmitted wave a zero-frequency, or dc, polarization term.) Each of the oscillatory motions gives rise to a radiated wavelet (a r Electric field amplitude harmonic) at multiples of the input frequency. , .... , / ' -" , -, " - In generating second harmonics, for example, each / \ ~ ~ // . wavelet at the second-harmonic frequency, 2m , radiates ~\ \ I ~\ . T'm. ' ... ~' '-" , ~", / Electron motion (b) (c) Symmetric repulsive potential SymmetriC electron motion ~ ~ (centric site) 1w ' "--.-/ A A Ar)3W ~ ~ 5wJV\JV\f\f\N Asymmetric electron motion 1W ~ ~ ....--...... ~ r)2W ~ \IV 3w ~ 4w'\.../VVV\. Asymmetric repulsive potential (acentric site) 5w'\J\MMf\l\.. 4 INERTIAL FUSION inKDP outward at the phase velocity of the medium for that orient a crystal of KDP so that the propagation velocity frequency, which is the vacuum speed of light divided of incident light waves produces exact phase matching. by the refractive index at 2w (V2w = c/nzw). The The optical axis of KDP is such that light polarized fundamental wave, however, propagates with a different perpendicular to the axis experiences an angle­ phase velocity ( VIW = c/nlw). Because the fundamental independent (ordinary) refractive index, nO' whereas wave imposes its phase on each of the electron light of the other polarization experiences an angle­ oscillators, and thus on the radiated 2w wavelets, the dependent (extraordinary) refractive index, n~ see net radiated wave at 2w is the sum of many out-of­ figure (e). The extraordinary index ne(e) at the second phase wavelets from the host of oscillators throughout harmonic is equal to the ordinary index at the first the material. We describe this situation by saying that harmonic at a particular angle e, the phase-matching the process is not phase matched (d).
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