NEXT-GENERATION LASER FOR INERTIAL CONFINEMENT FUSION

We are in the process of developing and building the ''Mercury'' laser system as the first in a series of a new generation of diode-pumped s olid-state Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) lasers at LLNL (see Fig. I below). Mercury will be the first integrated demonstration of a scal able laser architecture compatible with advanced high energy density ( HED) physics applications. Primary performance goals include 10% effic iencies at 10 Hz and a 1-10 ns pulse with 1 omega energies of 100 J an d with 2 omega/3 omega frequency conversion.