A study program has been completed which assesses the feasibility of using rare gas-halide lasers as near term inertial confinement fusion (ICF) drivers. A prime objective of this program was to provide credible, design parameter maps to establish energy levels achievable with current and near term technologies. Key program elements include laser scaling projections, modular e-beam and pulsed power technology, optical angular multiplex configurations,optical structures, multibeam pointing and alignment, gas flow and acoustics issues, and trade-off analyses. Rare gas-halide lasers, in particular the KrF* laser, can be designed to meet ICF requirements. These lasers are scalable, emit at short wavelengths (KrF* 250 nm) and, through the use of optical angular multiplexing, can produce the required high energy (~1-5 MJ) in a short pulse (~10 ns) with projected overall efficiency in the range of 5-7%.

Date Published: 15 September 1981
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 0270, High Power Lasers and Applications, (15 September 1981); doi: 10.1117/12.931739

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0270:
High Power Lasers and Applications
Charles C. Tang, Editor(s)