GENERATION OF HIGH-INTENSITY BROAD-BANDWIDTH LIGHT FOR INERTIAL CONFINEMENT FUSION

It is suggested that three-wave parametric fluorescence in optically a nisotropic crystals, e.g. KDP, may be used to generate high intensity (greater-than-or-equal-to 1 GW/cm3), broad-bandwidth (DELTAlambda/lamb da less-than-or-equal-to 5-10%) light with small divergence (less-than -or-equal-to 100 murad) in the near infrared to midvisible spectral re gions. Larger fractional bandwidths and shorter wavelengths may be ach ieved by modification of crystal optical properties and harmonic conve rsion or sum frequency generation, respectively.