Aurora status and plans
Aurora is a short wavelength (248 nm) 10 to kJ KrF laser systems in the ICF program at Los Alamos National Laboratory. It is both an experiment in driver technology and a means for studying target performance using KrF laser light. Both features will be used to help evaluate the uv excimer laser as a viable fusion driver. The system has been designed to employ several electron-beam pumped amplifiers in series, with a final aperture of one meter square, to amplify 96 angularly mulitplexed 5 ns beamlets to the 10 kJ level. In Phase I, 48 of these beamlets are brought to target by demultiplexing and focusing with f26 optics. The beamlet ensemble, contained within an f1.9 bundle, is focused as a single beam;however, pointing is done individually. Spot size in the target plane is variable from 0.1-4 mm, with maximum averaged intensity of )similarreverse arrowto) 4 x 10/sup 15/ Wcm/sup 2/. The illumination geometry is designed specifically for several classes of important target physics experiments. These include: energy flow, symmetry and preheat studies related to indirectly driven targets;x-ray conversion and plasma coupling characterization on disc targets, and hydrodynamic instability studies in planar geometry. System integration is proceeding toward initial target experiments in )similarreverse arrowto) late 1988. Ninety-six beam amplification through the penultimate amplifier has been obtained at the sub-kJ level. Installation of beam train optics is proceeding, and the target system vacuum envelope is in place. 18 refs., 12 figs., 2 tabs
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 5222409
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-88-409; CONF-871093-5; ON: DE88006476; TRN: 88-018635
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 8. international workshop on laser interaction and related plasma phenomena, Monterey, CA, USA, 27 Oct 1987
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
AURORA FACILITY
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
TARGET CHAMBERS
AMPLIFIERS
DESIGN
FOCUSING
ICF DEVICES
KRYPTON FLUORIDE LASERS
PERFORMANCE
ACCELERATOR FACILITIES
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
EXCIMER LASERS
GAS LASERS
LASERS
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
700208* - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Inertial Confinement Technology