Development of Scale-Down Laser (Class of 10 J & 10 Hz) for Inertial Fusion Reactor

Abstract

A diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) for inertial fusion energy driver has been demonstrated, which produces the 1053-nm output energy of 10 J at 10 Hz. The glass slab laser amplifier is pumped by quasi-continuous wave 290-kW AlGaAs laser-diode arrays at 803 nm. The optical system enable to compensate for thermal effects by use of zig-zag optical propagation, image-relayed telescope, and 45 degree Faraday rotator. The output energy of 8.4 J at 10 Hz with the optical to optical conversion efficiency of 15.8 % has been successfully obtained, collecting within a 4.4 times diffraction limited area. The results indicate that the DPSSL technology is promising for realizing rep. rate, high average power as well as high energy scaling.