The commissioning of the advanced radiographic capability laser system: experimental and modeling results at the main laser output

J. M. Di Nicola; S. T. Yang; C. D. Boley; John K. Crane; J. E. Heebner; Thomas M. Spinka; P. Arnold; C. P. J. Barty; M. W. Bowers; T. S. Budge; K. Christensen; J. W. Dawson; G. Erbert; E. Feigenbaum; G. Guss; C. Haefner; M. R. Hermann; Doug Homoelle; J. A. Jarboe; J. K. Lawson; R. Lowe-Webb; Kathleen P. McCandless; Brent McHale; L. J. Pelz; P. P. Pham; M. A. Prantil; M. L. Rehak; M. A. Rever; Michael C. Rushford; R. A. Sacks; M. Shaw; D. Smauley; L. K. Smith; R. Speck; G. Tietbohl; P. J. Wegner; C. Widmayer

doi:10.1117/12.2080459

26 February 2015 The commissioning of the advanced radiographic capability laser system: experimental and modeling results at the main laser output

J. M. Di Nicola, S. T. Yang, C. D. Boley, John K. Crane, J. E. Heebner, Thomas M. Spinka, P. Arnold, C. P. J. Barty, M. W. Bowers, T. S. Budge, K. Christensen, J. W. Dawson, G. Erbert, E. Feigenbaum, G. Guss, C. Haefner, M. R. Hermann, Doug Homoelle, J. A. Jarboe, J. K. Lawson, R. Lowe-Webb, Kathleen P. McCandless, Brent McHale, L. J. Pelz, P. P. Pham, M. A. Prantil, M. L. Rehak, M. A. Rever, Michael C. Rushford, R. A. Sacks, M. Shaw, D. Smauley, L. K. Smith, R. Speck, G. Tietbohl, P. J. Wegner, C. Widmayer

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9345, High Power Lasers for Fusion Research III; 93450I (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2080459
Event: SPIE LASE, 2015, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is the first of a kind megajoule-class laser with 192 beams capable of delivering over 1.8 MJ and 500TW of 351nm light [1], [2]. It has been commissioned and operated since 2009 to support a wide range of missions including the study of inertial confinement fusion, high energy density physics, material science, and laboratory astrophysics. In order to advance our understanding, and enable short-pulse multi-frame radiographic experiments of dense cores of cold material, the generation of very hard x-rays above 50 keV is necessary. X-rays with such characteristics can be efficiently generated with high intensity laser pulses above 10¹⁷ W/cm² [3]. The Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC) [4] which is currently being commissioned on the NIF will provide eight, 1 ps to 50 ps, adjustable pulses with up to 1.7 kJ each to create x-ray point sources enabling dynamic, multi-frame x-ray backlighting. This paper will provide an overview of the ARC system and report on the laser performance tests conducted with a stretched-pulse up to the main laser output and their comparison with the results of our laser propagation codes.

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J. M. Di Nicola, S. T. Yang, C. D. Boley, John K. Crane, J. E. Heebner, Thomas M. Spinka, P. Arnold, C. P. J. Barty, M. W. Bowers, T. S. Budge, K. Christensen, J. W. Dawson, G. Erbert, E. Feigenbaum, G. Guss, C. Haefner, M. R. Hermann, Doug Homoelle, J. A. Jarboe, J. K. Lawson, R. Lowe-Webb, Kathleen P. McCandless, Brent McHale, L. J. Pelz, P. P. Pham, M. A. Prantil, M. L. Rehak, M. A. Rever, Michael C. Rushford, R. A. Sacks, M. Shaw, D. Smauley, L. K. Smith, R. Speck, G. Tietbohl, P. J. Wegner, and C. Widmayer "The commissioning of the advanced radiographic capability laser system: experimental and modeling results at the main laser output", Proc. SPIE 9345, High Power Lasers for Fusion Research III, 93450I (26 February 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2080459

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