Interferometric measurement of laser fusion targets

Fast ignition of fusion targets by laser-driven electrons

We present hybrid PIC simulations of fast electron transport and energy deposition in pre-compressed fusion targets, taking full account of collective magnetic effects and the hydrodynamic response of the background plasma. Results on actual ignition of an imploded fast ignition configuration are shown accounting for the increased beam divergence found in recent experiments [J.S. Green et al., ...

Modeling Laser Imprint for Inertial Confinement Fusion Targets

LLE Review, Volume 80 185 In inertial confinement fusion (ICF), a spherical shell filled with a DT-gas mixture is compressed to high densities and temperatures to achieve ignition condition.1 Degradation from spherical symmetry during the implosion, however, limits the achievable compression ratios and could quench the ignition. The main source of such asymmetry is hydrodynamic instabilities (s...

Areal Density Measurement of Laser Targets Using Absorption Lines

LLE Review, Volume 69 11 Absorption lines due to 1s–2p transitions in titanium ions are predicted to be observed in the implosion of titanium-doped shells. The measured absorption of these lines can be used to determine the peak areal density ρ∆r of the doped layer and hence of the total compressed shell. The absorption lines are studied by solving the radiation transport equation using opacity...

Focused-Laser Interferometric Position Sensor

Interferometric, modulation-free laser stabilization.

We demonstrate novel modulation-free frequency locking of a diode laser, utilizing a simple Sagnac interferometer to create an error signal from saturated-absorption spectroscopy. The interference condition at the output of the Sagnac is strongly affected by the sharp dispersion feature near an atomic resonance. Slight misalignment of the interferometer and subsequent spatially selective, or ti...