The High Average Power Laser (HAPL) Program

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The High Average Power Laser (HAPL) Program
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
PreCap
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We have formulated a phased program to develop
Fusion Energy
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
Establish Target physics, Full scale Laser
technology, Power Plant design

• 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

Phase II Integrated Research Expts (IRE) start
?2005
NIF Implosions ?1.5 MJ laser ? Demonstrate
ignition gain
Develop Viable Target designs, scalable laser
tech, target fab/ injection,
final optics, chamber concept
Other Comp ? target fabrication ? target
injection ? final optics ? chamber
Lasers ? Electra KrF ? Mercury DPPSL
Target Design ? Modeling ? Laser/Target
Experiments
Phase I Mission Oriented RD 2001
We are here
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Suggested Plan for Phase II

• 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

Phase II Laser IFE Program 150M/yr FY2005-2013
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Example --KrF Laser Facility
Chamber
300 ft
Target injector
Front End
Driver Amp (Electra)
Propagation bay
Turning Arrays
Main Amplifier (50-100 kJ)
100 ft
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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
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HAPL Program web site http//aries.ucsd.edu/HAPL

• 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)

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The High Average Power Laser (HAPL) Program
March
20, 2002
A coordinated, focussed, multi-lab effort to
develop the science and technology for Laser
Fusion Energy
An Integrated Program for Fusion Energy Based on
lasers, direct drive targets, solid wall chambers
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 ST
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/injectio
n, 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 (2006- 2012) III Power plant
laser-fusion test facility (operational
approximately 2020)
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
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Recent Advances in the High Average Power Laser
(HAPL) Program
March 30, 2002
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.
Diode Pumped Solid State Laser (DPPSL)
Krypton Fluoride Laser
Final Optics

• 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.

Demonstrated concept for high laser damage
threshold aluminum mirror.

• Developed 160,000 Watt power
• laser diode arrays.
• Demonstrated gas cooling of laser
• Fabricated large, high quality
• crystals.
• Half of the system complete

85
40 cm dia
Laser
Aluminum coating on cooled substrate
UC San Diego
Mercury Laser (LLNL)
Electra Laser (NRL)
Chambers
Targets
Target Injection
Operating window for target injection, wall
survival, and high efficiency.
Thin gold (Au) and/or palladium (Pd) coatings on
spherical shells.
Begun fabrication of target injection and
tracking system.
Target Coating
Wisconsin
Sabot Deflector
Expansion Tanks
General Atomics
Developing code to study chamber clearing
between shots.
Pumps
Established chemistry for low density foam shells
Position Detectors
Barrel
Revolver Chamber
General Atomics
UC San Diego
Schafer Corp
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Technical progress is the key to our success

• Last Meeting
• Aluminum mirror at grazing incidence
• Au-Pd alloy has high DT permeation and high
  reflectivity
• High Z coating significantly reduces laser
  imprint,
• hence mitigates instability growth (Nike
  Program).
• This meeting.

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Agenda, Thursday April 4
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Agenda, Friday April 5
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Poster Sessions