Alternative mechanism for omega(0)/2 emission in laser-produced plasmas.

Several models have been proposed to explain the broad spectral features characteristic of omega(0)/2 emission observed in laser-produced plasmas. In this article, the electromagnetic decay instability is examined as an alternative explanation for this emission. It is shown that the electromagnetic decay instability is able to explain some of the spectral features observed from laser-produced plasmas. In addition, the electromagnetic decay instability is consistent with two other features observed in experiments: the efficient generation of electromagnetic energy and the discrepancy in the levels of emission between the omega(0)/2 emission and the 3omega(0)/2 emission.

Spatial filter pinhole development for the national ignition facility.

We present results from a major experimental effort to understand the behavior of spatial filter pinholes and to identify and demonstrate a pinhole that will meet the requirements of the National Ignition Facility (NIF). We find that pinhole performance depends significantly on geometry and material. Cone pinholes are found to stay open longer and to cause less backreflection than pinholes of more conventional geometry. We show that a +/-150-microrad stainless-steel cone pinhole will pass a full-energy NIF ignition pulse with required margins for misalignment and for smoothing by spectral dispersion. On the basis of a model fitted to experimental results, a +/-125-microrad stainless-steel cone pinhole is also projected to meet these requirements.

Spatial filter pinhole for high-energy pulsed lasers.

Spatial filters are essential components for maintaining high beam quality in high-energy pulsed laser systems. The long-duration (21 ns) high-energy pulses envisioned for future inertial-confinement fusion drive systems, such as the U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF), are likely to lead to increased plasma generation and closure effects within the pinholes in the spatial filters. The design goal for the pinhole spatial filter for the NIF design is to remove small-angle scatter in the beam to as little as a ?100-murad divergence. It is uncertain whether this design requirement can be met with a conventional pinhole design. We propose a new pinhole architecture that addresses these issues by incorporating features intended to reduce the rate of plasma generation. Initial experiments with this design have verified its performance improvement relative to a conventional pinhole design.