The High Average Power Laser (HAPL) Program We are developing Fusion Energy with lasers, based primarily on direct drive targets and dry wall chambers Spherical target Gas turbine Dry wall (passive) chamber Target factory Modular Laser Array Final optics PreCap We like this approach because it leads to an attractive power plant. We are following an integrated “systems” approach…. Coordinated, focused, multi-lab, program Addresses science and technology at the same time We have established a three phase program Must meet specific goals before going to next phase

We have formulated a phased program to develop Fusion Energy Phase I: Mission Oriented R&D 2001 Phase II Integrated Research Expts (IRE) start  2005 Phase III Engineering Test Facility ETF start  2014, operating 2020 Engineering Test Facility (ETF)  2-3 MJ, 60 laser beam lines  High gain target implosions  Optimize chamber materials & components.  Generate  300 MW electricity from fusion  Laser facility – full energy beam line hit injected targets  Target facility inject IFE targets in chamber env  R & D on other components  Power Plant Design  Target Design  Modeling  Laser/Target Experiments Develop Viable: Target designs, scalable laser tech, target fab/ injection, final optics, chamber concept Establish: Target physics, Full scale Laser technology, Power Plant design ? Lasers  Electra KrF  Mercury DPPSL Other Comp  target fabrication  target injection  final optics  chamber ? We are here NIF Implosions  1.5 MJ laser  Demonstrate ignition & gain

Objectives: Develop science and technology needed for an ETF by 2014 Assumes Phase I subscale DPSSL and/or KrF lasers are technical successes Assumes Phase I develops credible technologies for other components Suggested Plan for Phase II Laser Main line: Full scale power-plant size beam line Laser/Target facility Preserve alternate technology for potential long term advantages, or merge into one approach Target facility Mass production of targets in batch mode Inject IFE-Class targets into chamber environment Other R & D Target Design/Experiments Chamber designs/experiments Some on Laser Expt Materials and optics research Detailed power plant design } Phase II Laser IFE Program ~$150M/yr FY

Propagation bay Turning Arrays Chamber Target injector Example --KrF Laser Facility Driver Amp (Electra) Front End 300 ft Main Amplifier ( kJ) 100 ft

Snowmass Expect “End product” is identification of “Next Step” for each Fusion Concept a) What is the Next Step for that concept? b) What will it achieve? c) What goals must be met to start it? Recognize that each Fusion Concept is on its own development path Get community input (consensus?) on a-c above For Laser IFE; next step is the Phase II of our plan

HAPL Program web site: Brief description of program Presentations at meetings: NRL March 1999 General Atomics September 1999 ARIES June 2000 NRL Feb 2000 NRL May 2001 Pleasanton (LLNL) Nov 2001 Upcoming meeting Agendas and Logistics One pagers Research Plans (e.g. Chambers development plan)

NRL “Electra” Krypton Fluoride (KrF) Laser LLNL “Mercury” Diode Pumped Solid State (DPPSL) Laser An Integrated Program for Fusion Energy Based on lasers, direct drive targets, solid wall chambers Key components developed together--”systems approach” Modular architecture Lowers development costs (Single beam line validates laser) Allows multiple options for laser, chamber, optics, and targets Significant progress recently made in all key areas; Lasers, target design, target fabrication/injection, power plant optics, materials, chamber designs Three-phase program:. I: “Proof of Principle” R & D ($25 M/yr; completed by 2006) II: Integrated research experiment with reactor laser module ( ) III: Power plant laser-fusion test facility (operational approximately 2020) March 20, 2002 A coordinated, focussed, multi-lab effort to develop the science and technology for Laser Fusion Energy Scientific Research Areas Laser science (excimer and solid state) Pulsed power, electron beam physics High power laser optics, diodes and crystals Low density foam polymer chemistry Materials at low temperatures Materials response to intense radiation Multi-dimensional chamber clearing codes Defense Applications for HAPL S&T Next generation large scale lasers for NNSA (high energy, repetitively pulsed) Compact advanced pulsed power for DoD systems Solid state laser technology for Directed Energy Target tracking and laser guidance systems High damage-threshold laser optics Participants: DoD/DoD Labs: Naval Research Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Lab, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Industry: General Atomics, Titan-Pulse Sciences Division, Schafer Corp, Science Applications International Corp, Northrop-Grumman, Coherence, Inc. Commonwealth Technology, Inc. University: UC San Diego, University of Wisconsin, UCLA, and University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics The High Average Power Laser (HAPL) Program

March 30, 2002 Chambers An integrated research program to develop fusion energy with lasers and direct drive targets. Over 15 institutions contribute to this program. A few of the highlights from the past year are summarized here. Targets Thin gold (Au) and/or palladium (Pd) coatings on spherical shells. Established chemistry for low density foam shells Target Injection Begun fabrication of target injection and tracking system. Krypton Fluoride Laser Diode Pumped Solid State Laser (DPPSL) Final Optics Demonstrated concept for high laser damage threshold aluminum mirror. General Atomics Developing code to study chamber “clearing” between shots. UC San Diego Developed 160,000 Watt power laser diode arrays. Demonstrated gas cooling of laser Fabricated large, high quality crystals. Half of the system complete Mercury Laser (LLNL) First generation pulsed power system: 5 pulses per second for five hours, Makes 500,000 Volt electron beams. Theoretical modeling guided mitigation of electron beam instability. Demonstrated solid state laser triggered pulsed power switch. Electra Laser (NRL) “Operating window” for target injection, wall survival, and high efficiency. Wisconsin Target Coating Schafer Corp Aluminum coating on cooled substrate 85° 40 cm dia Laser Pumps Barrel Position Detectors Sabot Deflector Revolver Chamber Expansion Tanks General Atomics Recent Advances in the High Average Power Laser (HAPL) Program

Technical progress is the key to our success Last Meeting: 1.Aluminum mirror at grazing incidence 2.Au-Pd alloy has high DT permeation and high reflectivity 3.High Z coating significantly reduces laser imprint, hence mitigates instability growth (Nike Program). This meeting…….

Agenda, Thursday April 4

Agenda, Friday April 5

Poster Sessions