Paper 13358-17
Paper 13358-17
Laser glass development leading to the National Ignition Facility: a template for assessing gain media for proposed inertial-fusion-energy laser drivers (Invited Paper)
28 January 2025 • 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM PST | Moscone South, Room 76 (Lower Mezz)
Abstract
The design and construction of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser system rests on more than four decades of optical materials R&D and advanced manufacturing development. This approach and the associated wealth of information provides a template for assessing different Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) laser-driver designs. The historical development of the NIF gain media (Nd-doped phosphate laser glass) is used to illustrate common challenges that IFE will need to be overcome to select and produce gain material at the scale and volume needed.
Presenter
John Campbell
Material Science Solutions (United States)
John (“Jack”) H. Campbell was a member of the senior scientific staff at Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) for 35 years. He spent much of his career developing laser targets, optical materials, and advanced optical manufacturing processes for high-peak-power lasers. He was also lead scientist for Laser Materials and Optics Technology for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) commissioned in 2007. In 2007, Jack founded Material Science Solutions, a small high-tech company specializing in advanced materials and materials processing R&D serving private sector clients in aerospace, defense, laser-processing, advanced materials development, and micro/nano fabrication.