Paper 13358-21
Paper 13358-21
Injection laser system architecture, upgrades, and future at the National Ignition Facility (Invited Paper)
28 January 2025 • 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM PST | Moscone South, Room 76 (Lower Mezz)
Abstract
The front end of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) known as the Injection Laser System (ILS) has a 30-year history of development and phased upgrades. It continues to be modernized in support of enhanced NIF performance, reliability, and sustainability. This talk will provide an overview of the ILS subsystems and their design features developed to meet demanding specification challenges. Critical upgrades will be reviewed including the High-Fidelity Pulse Shaping system, wavelength/bandwidth control, FM-AM measurement/mitigation, and the first-generation Programmable Spatial Shaping system. Future upgrades planned or in progress will be discussed including the second-generation Programmable Spatial Shaping system, Diode-Pumped Multi-Pass Amplifier, and prospects for higher speed pulse shaping and bandwidth control.
Presenter
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (United States)
Dr. Heebner is the lead scientist for the Injection Laser System of the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He qualified the 48 Pre-Amplifier Modules and front-end of the ARC petawatt laser. He led the development of the system of optically addressable, Programmable Spatial Shapers that tailor the NIF laser beam profiles in space and the High-Fidelity Pulse Shaping system that precision tailors the NIF laser pulses in time. More recently, his group developed the STILETTO pulse shaper combined with Three Phase Spectral Interferometry (3PSI) demonstrating sub-ps resolution over >1ns. Additionally, he has been developing directed energy solutions for Dept. of Defense applications. John has been awarded four R&D 100 awards, four LLNL Director’s S&T awards, 15 patents, authored over 80 publications, and is a fellow of Optica. In 2022, he was recognized as a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at LLNL.