The Upgrade to the OMEGA Laser System

We report on fusion research at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics. We describe the configuration of the upgrade to the OMEGA laser system—a 30-kJ, 351-nm, 60-beam, Nd:glass, direct-drive laser-fusion system. The system utilizes rod and disk amplifiers and frequency-tripling to produce intense UV. Target irradiation uniformity is controlled using phase conversion and smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD). Dual driver lines will feed the propagation of two coaxial beams that have different pulse widths and occupy different portions of the laser aperture. Operation of the laser will begin in November 1994, and the target area will be completed in March 1995.