Current Trends in Laser Fusion Driver and Beam Combination Laser Systems Using Stimulated Brillouin Scattering Phase Conjugate Mirrors for a Fusion Driver
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Journal of the Korean Physical Society, Vol. 56, No. 1, January 2010, pp. 177∼183 Current Trends in Laser Fusion Driver and Beam Combination Laser Systems Using Stimulated Brillouin Scattering Phase Conjugate Mirrors for a Fusion Driver Hong Jin Kong,∗ Jae Sung Shin, Du Hyun Beak and Sangwoo Park Department of Physics, KAIST, Daejeon 305-701 Jin Woo Yoon Advanced Photonics Research Institute, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712 (Received 11 January 2009, in final form 22 June 2009) Laser facilities in the world have been developing flash-lamp-pumped ultrahigh-energy solid-state lasers for fusion research and high-repetition diode-pumped solid-state lasers to act as commercial fusion drivers. A commercial laser fusion driver requires a high-energy beam with a total energy of several megajoules per pulse in several nanoseconds with a ∼10-Hz repetition rate. However, current laser technologies have limitations in raising the beam energy when operating with a high repetition rate, which is necessary for a commercial fusion driver to function properly. The beam combination laser system, which that uses stimulated Brillouin scattering phase conjugate mirrors, is a promising candidate for a fusion driver because it can obtain both a high energy and a high repetition rate with separate amplifications. For the realization of the beam combination laser system, a self-phase control technique was proposed for the coherent beam combined output, and its principle was demonstrated experimentally. PACS numbers: 52.58.N, 42.60, 42.65.H, 42.65.E Keywords: Laser fusion driver, High-energy laser, Beam combination, Phase conjugation, Stimulated Bril- louin scattering DOI: 10.3938/jkps.56.177 I. INTRODUCTION Laser Fusion Energy (LFE) is one of the most promis- ing sources of clean energy for mankind. A commer- cial laser fusion driver requires a high-energy beam with a total energy of several megajoules per pulse in sev- eral nanoseconds at 0.5-0.3 µm with a ∼10-Hz repetition rate [1–4]. Although fast ignition generally reduces the required energy, an order of several hundred kilojoules is necessary for the fusion energy to occur [5, 6]. For achievement of fusion energy, many countries have been constructing their own laser facilities. Figure 1 shows the progress of high-energy laser developments in the world [4,7–42]. Flashlamp-pumped solid-state lasers for ultra- high energy have been developed for laser fusion research. Fig. 1. Progress of high-energy laser developments in the However, such high-energy lasers need a large active me- world. dia in order to avoid the optical damages that can appear due to the thermal loads. Thus, it can take a long time to cool down the active media of those lasers, which forces should operate with a high repetition rate around 10 Hz. the system to operate with only a single shot. Diode-pumped solid-state lasers (DPSSLs) are good can- For the commercial use of LFE, however, the lasers didates of high-repetition fusion drivers because of their ability to reduce the thermal loads of the laser media [1, ∗E-mail: [email protected] 4]. Many researchers have developed new laser materials -177- -178- Journal of the Korean Physical Society, Vol. 56, No. 1, January 2010 with high thermal conductivities and fast cooling tech- 2.5 kJ per beam for 1-ns pulse and 6.5 kJ per beam for niques for high-repetition, high-energy pulses. Neverthe- 10-ns pulse. less, DPSSLs do not solve the fundamental thermal prob- In Japan, the Institute of Laser Engineering (ILE) at lems and have limitations in energy scaling with such a Osaka University is the leading institute for high-energy high repetition rate. laser development and fusion research. Researchers at Kong et al. proposed a new concept for a laser fusion ILE have constructed a 12-beam Nd:glass laser, known driver and a beam combination laser system using stimu- as the Gekko XII in 1983, which succeeded the previ- lated Brillouin scattering phase conjugate mirrors (SBS- ously developed Gekko II (2 beams, 0.4 TW), Gekko IV PCMs) [43–57]. This beam combined system can simul- (4 beams, 4 TW), and the Gekko MII (2 beams, 7 TW) taneously achieve a high power, a high energy, and a high with the “KONGOH Project” [12]. The output energy repetition rate by combining many separately amplified of Gekko XII is 500 J per beam at 0.53 µm or 200 J beams without any changes in pump sources, laser mate- per beam at 0.35 µm. In addition, the Gekko laser has a rials, and cooling techniques. This separate amplification petawatt picosecond beam line of 500 J (Gekko PW). Re- does not need a large active media, which means that the cently, a new short-pulse high-power laser, LFEX (Laser whole system can operate with a high repetition rate by for Fast Ignition EXperiment) has been developed for the using previously developed cooling techniques. There- FIREX (Fast Ignition Realization EXperiment) project fore, the beam combination laser system is a promising [13]. The LFEX laser will generate 4-beams of 10-kJ candidate for commercial laser fusion drivers. energies at 1.05 µm in 1-20 picoseconds. Following the FIREX-I project, the FIREX-II project was also pro- posed at the ILE. In the FIREX-II project, ILE re- searchers plan to achieve a 50-kJ/3-ns blue laser for im- II. HIGH-ENERGY LASERS FOR FUSION plosion and a 50-kJ/10-ps red laser for heating [13]. DRIVERS China has also constructed a high-energy laser facility, named the SG-II facility, at the National Laboratory on 1. Flashlamp-pumped Ultrahigh-energy Solid- High Power Lasers and Physics (NLHPLP) in Shanghai, state Lasers which is an upgraded version of the SG-I [14,15]. The SG-II facility has been in operation since 2000 with over Flashlamp-pumped ultrahigh-energy solid-sate lasers 3000 shots and is currently upgraded with a 24-kJ/ 3- for fusion research have been used for several decades, ns/ 0.35-µm laser beam [15]. This SG-II laser will be as shown in Table 1 [7–27]. In general, the ultrahigh- paired with a pettawatt laser of 1.5 kJ / 2 ps for fast energy facilities have a short-pulse heating laser, as well ignition. Following the SG-II, a SG-III laser facility is as a long-pulse implosion laser, for the fast ignition [5, currently under construction at the China Academy of 6]. Engineering Physics (CAEP) Research Center of Laser In the USA, the Lawrence Livermore National Labo- Fusion (LFRC) [15,16]. The SG-III laser facility is being ratory (LLNL) and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics designed to provide six bundles of 4 × 2 laser beams (LLE) at the University of Rochester are the main laser (48 beams) with a total energy of 150-200 kJ in 3 ns. fusion research facilities. Since the construction of the This Research Center will start operating in 2012. TIL, long path laser in 1970, the LLNL has been a leader the prototype facility of SG-III (a bundle of 4 × 2 laser in developing high-energy laser systems, such as Janus, beams), was complete and began operating in 2005 [17]. Cyclops, Shiva, Argus, and Nova [7]. On the basis of The SG-III laser will be upgraded to 400 kJ/ 3 ns/ 0.35 high-energy laser techniques, the National Ignition Fa- µm in a few years. In addition to the SG-III laser, the cility (NIF) under construction at present is becoming SG-IV laser facility with a total energy of 1.5 MJ will be the world’s largest laser facility [7,8]. The goal of the developed and completed in 2020. NIF laser is to obtain 192 beams with a total energy In Korea, developing high-energy lasers started in 1994 up to 3.6 MJ at 1.05 µm (1ω) and 1.8 MJ at 0.35 µm with a Nd:glass laser system named Sinmyung laser at (3ω). The construction of the NIF will be completed in KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Tech- 2009, and fusion ignition experiments will start in 2010. nology). This high-energy laser is capable of delivering In the LLE, an upgrade of the OMEGA laser system, 80 J / 40 ps / 1.05 µm [18]. However, laser develop- which is a Nd:glass laser system for direct-drive fusion ment has been stagnant for more than a decade. Re- experiments, was completed in 1995 [9]. This laser sys- cently though, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Insti- tem can deliver 60 beams with a total energy of 37 kJ at tute (KAERI) has developed a 1-kJ Nd:glass laser facil- 0.35 µm. In addition, adjacent to the OMEGA Laser Fa- ity [19,20] and a KAERI Laser Facility (KLF) that uses cility, the construction of the OMEGA EP Laser Facility laser components of Gekko IV from the ILE in Japan was completed in 2008, which contains four high-energy [21]. This KLF laser facility was completed in 2008 and petawatt (HEPW) beamlines with up to 2.6 kJ each in can deliver 4 beam lines of 200 J each. 10-100 ps pulse durations [10, 11]. All four beams will In France, the LULI (Laboratory for Use of Intense also be capable of operating with a long pulse (0.1-10 Lasers) at the CEA (Commissariat `al’Energie Atom- ns). In the long-pulse operation, UV energies can reach ique) has developed and upgraded its laser facilities [22].