INERTIAL CONFINEMENT FUSION PROGRAM AT LAWRENCE-LIVERMORE-NATIONAL-LABORATORY - THE NATIONAL IGNITION FACILITY, INERTIAL FUSION ENERGY, 100-1000 TW LASERS, AND THE FAST IGNITER CONCEPT

The ultimate goal of worldwide research in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is to develop fusion as an inexhaustible, economic, environment ally safe source of electric power. Following nearly thirty years of l aboratory and underground fusion experiments, the next step toward thi s goal is to demonstrate ignition and propagating burn of fusion fuel in the laboratory. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) Project is bei ng constructed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) for ju st this purpose. NIF Will use advanced Nd-glass laser technology to de liver 1.8 MJ of 0.35 mu m laser light in a shaped pulse, several nanos econds in duration, achieving a peak power of 500 TW. A national commu nity of U.S. laboratories is participating in this project, now in its final design phase. France and the United Kingdom are collaborating o n development of required technology under bilateral agreements with t he US. This paper presents key aspects of the laser design, and descri ptions of principal laser and optical components. Follow-on developmen t of lasers to meet the demands of an inertial fusion energy (IFE) pow er plant is reviewed. In parallel with the NIF Project and IFE develop ments, work is proceeding on ultrashort pulse lasers with peak power i n the range of 100-1000 TW. A beamline on the Nova laser at LLNL recen tly delivered nearly 600 J of 1 mu m light in a 0.5 ps duration pulse, for a peak power in excess of a petawatt (10(15) W). This beamline, w ith advanced adaptive optics, will be capable of focused intensities i n excess of 10(21) W/cm(2). Its primary purpose will be to test techno logical and scientific aspects of an alternate ignition concept, calle d the ''Fast Igniter'', that has the potential to produce higher fusio n gain than conventional ICF.