Open AccessSpatio-temporal focal spot characterization and modeling of the NIF ARC kilojoule picosecond laser
Author(s) -
Wade H. Williams,
John K. Crane,
D. Alessi,
C. D. Boley,
M. W. Bowers,
A. Conder,
Jérémy Nicola,
P. Di Nicola,
C. Haefner,
John M. Halpin,
Masaki Hamamoto,
John E. Heebner,
M. R. Hermann,
S. Herriot,
D. Homoelle,
D. H. Kalantar,
Thomas E. Lanier,
K. N. LaFortune,
Janice K. Lawson,
R. Lowe-Webb,
F. X. Morrissey,
Hoàng Tùng Nguyễn,
Charles D. Orth,
L. Pelz,
M. Prantil,
M. C. Rushford,
Richard A. Sacks,
J. Thaddeus Salmon,
Lynn G. Seppala,
Michael Shaw,
R. Sigurdsson,
Paul J. Wegner,
C. Widmayer,
S. T. Yang,
T. Zobrist
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
applied optics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.668
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 2155-3165
pISSN - 1559-128X
DOI - 10.1364/ao.416846
Subject(s) - optics , laser , physics
The advanced radiographic capability (ARC) laser system, part of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is a short-pulse laser capability integrated into the NIF. The ARC is designed to provide adjustable pulse lengths of ∼1-38 p s in four independent beamlets, each with energies up to 1 kJ (depending on pulse duration). A detailed model of the ARC lasers has been developed that predicts the time- and space-resolved focal spots on target for each shot. Measurements made to characterize static and dynamic wavefront characteristics of the ARC are important inputs to the code. Modeling has been validated with measurements of the time-integrated focal spot at the target chamber center (TCC) at low power, and the space-integrated pulse duration at high power, using currently available diagnostics. These simulations indicate that each of the four ARC beamlets achieves a peak intensity on target of up to a few 10 18 W / c m 2 .