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U.S. Department of Energy
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Design and fabrication of high damage threshold turning mirrors for the Nova laser

Conference ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1117/12.22838· OSTI ID:7155668
; ; ;  [1];  [2]
  1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
  2. Optical Coating Lab., Inc., Santa Rosa, CA (USA)

Laser induced damage to optical components severely limits the operating fluence of high peak power lasers used for fusion research such as the Nova laser at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In particular, surfaces and optical thin films often damage at a lower fluence than bulk materials in large aperture, high quality optics. We have designed and are fabricating new 94 cm turning mirrors for Nova as part of the Precision Nova'' program to improve beam quality. A new design has been optimized for updated optical performance specifications including increased damage resistance. The new mirror design will operate at all turning angles required by the ten Nova beamlines. This flexibility reduces mirror inventory and fabrication cost. A process of conditioning'' the mirror coating has been developed that is permanent and increases the damage threshold by as much as a factor of 2--3x. 5 refs., 14 figs., 2 tabs.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE/DP
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
7155668
Report Number(s):
UCRL-102546; CONF-900756--6; ON: DE90012703
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English