Flashlamps power up the world's biggest laser

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is using PerkinElmer Optoelectronics high-energy high-damage-threshold pulsed xenon flashlamps in the pre-amplifier of the world's largest laser.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser programme is using PerkinElmer Optoelectronics high energy, high damage threshold pulsed xenon flashlamps in the pre-amplifier module (PAM) section of the world's largest laser to advance fundamental nuclear research.

Using PerkinElmer's flashlamps, a NIF laser PAM has successfully produced shaped pulses and injected them into the main laser system.

Output from the NIF laser enables scientists to carry out research into nuclear fusion, future energy sources and fundamental science.

For example, a pulse of laser light from the NIF will enable scientists to simulate temperatures and pressures similar to those at the centre of our sun.

"Our work with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory illustrates PerkinElmer Optoelectronics' continued leadership in customised solutions for cutting-edge applications where pulsed xenon flashlamps are critical to performance", said John Roush, President, PerkinElmer Optoelectronics.

"In collaboration with Continuum Lasers, PerkinElmer is pleased to be moving forward with increased production of its pulsed xenon flashlamps to support the National Ignition Facility laser testing programme".

PerkinElmer Optoelectronics designs and manufactures high energy, pulsed xenon flashlamps for use inside the laser's PAM amplifier head.

The PAM amplifier head is custom designed in collaboration between Continuum and LLNL.

The NIF laser project has 48 PAMs which amplify the master oscillator pulse 1,000,000 times, each use 12 PerkinElmer pulsed xenon flashlamps.

The 12 flashlamps in each PAM pump a total of 25kJ of broadband optical energy into the amplifier's Nd:YAG crystal with each pulse.

Each PAM first amplifies the early NIF laser pulse by a factor of about one million times and then the pulse gets boosted once again by a four-pass amplification process for maximum laser output.

The performance of the PerkinElmer flashlamps contribute to highly stable amplification, enabling the PAM's ability to perform three kinds of shaping of the NIF laser beams: spatial shaping to make the square beam more intense around the edges to compensate for the higher gain profile in the centre of the large amplifiers; spectral shaping and beam smoothing to eliminate both hot spots and dark spots at the focus by manipulating the focal beam pattern with fast changes in wavelengths; and temporal shaping to ensure that the laser pulse delivers energy to the target with a prescribed time-history for efficient ignition.

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