This invention proposes achieving the same effect of a single, high intensity pulse through the use of a closely spaced burst of short duration pulses. By keeping the intensity of the individual pulses below the damage threshold the risk of catastrophic damage is greatly mitigated. Additionally, the pulses are directed to strike the target at locations temporally and spatially sufficiently…
Keywords
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- Compact Space Telescopes (5)
- Diode Lasers (4)
- RF Photonics (3)
- Additively Manufactured (AM) Optics (1)
- Precision Engineering (1)
- Sensors (1)
- (-) Laser Materials Processing (5)
- (-) Optical Damage Mitigation (3)
- (-) Precision Optical Finishing (3)
- (-) Ultrashort Pulse Lasers (3)
- (-) Manufacturing Simulation (1)
Technology Portfolios
![Left to right: Drew Willard, Brendan Reagan, and Issa Tamer work on the Tm:YLF laser system. Photos by Jason Laurea](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2024-05/TmYLF%20laser.jpg?itok=63DzYeha)
This invention proposes the use of a nonlinear spectral broadening subsystem as a post-CPA pulse compression add-on for high energy laser systems. The proposed solution utilizes the beam profile of a high peak power laser as a reference to shape a highly transmissive nonlinear plastic (e.g., CR39) itself to ensure a spatially homogeneous nonlinear spectral broadening.
![structures created using method for producing laser gain media by atomic layer deposition](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2024-05/structures%20created%20using%20IL-13529.png?itok=avGMNFzj)
Powder atomic layer deposition process is used to coat nanopowders of host materials (e.g. yttrium aluminum garnet) with optically active neodymium organometal precursor followed by O2/O3 RF plasma to convert to a single layer of Nd2O3. The process can be repeated to build arbitrarily thick layers with custom doping profiles and followed by post-…
![Laser peening induces deep compressive stress, which significantly extends the service lifetime over any conventional treatment](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2024-02/laser%20peening%20inducing%20deep%20compressive%20stress.png?itok=oMzDBpkP)
This invention proposes using a pulse laser configured to generate laser pulses and a controller for controlling operation of the pulse laser. The controller is further configured to control the pulse laser to cause the pulse laser to generate at least one of the laser pulses with a spatiotemporally varying laser fluence over a duration of at least one of the laser pulses. The spatiotemporally…
![large potassium dihydrogen phosphate KDP crystal](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2024-01/KDP%20crystal.png?itok=K36reu5O)
This invention takes advantage of the high water-solubility of key NIF KDP crystal optics and uses water as an etchant to remove surface defects and improve the laser induced damage threshold. Since pure water etches KDP too fast, this invention is to disperse water as nanosized droplets in a water-in-oil micro-emulsion. While in a stable micro-emulsion form, the surfactant additives prevent…
This invention proposes to use laser induced melting/softening to locally reshape the form of a glass optic. The local glass densification that results induces predictable stresses that through plate deformation mechanics yield a deterministic methodology for arbitrarily reshaping an optic surface figure and wavefront without the need to remove material.
![HAPLS](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2019-09/High-Repetition-Rate%20Advanced%20Petawatt%20Laser%20System.jpg?itok=T6tyQfDN)
LLNL researchers have developed a high average power Faraday rotator that is gas-cooled and uniquely designed to dissipate heat uniformly so that it does not build up in the optical component and affect its performance. The Faraday rotator material is sliced into smaller disks like a loaf of bread so that high speed helium gas can flow between the slices. With this highly efficient cooling…
![The High-Repetition-Rate Advanced Petawatt Laser System (HAPLS), the world’s most advanced and highest average power diode-pumped petawatt laser system, at LLNL.](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2023-05/HAPLS.jpg?itok=k06DgZFt)
This invention discloses a method to minimize transient variations in the wavelength- and/or pointing-behavior of an optic, without requiring a reduction in its thermal resistance, optical absorption, or operating irradiance. The invention employs a combination of a time-varying heat source and time-varying thermal resistance and/or heat sink temperature to achieve temperature stability of the…
![NIF Target Chamber](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2023-05/NIF%20Target%20Chamber.jpg?itok=7tM0wDWR)
This invention concerns a new type of optic: a transient gas or plasma volume grating produced indirectly by small secondary lasers or directly by nonlinear processes using the primary beams themselves. When used in conjunction with advantageously placed shielding it offers a means of protecting the final optical components of a high-repetition-rate IFE facility. These transmission optics are…
![creation of ultra-high energy density matter by an intense laser pulse](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-06/laser_update875.jpg?itok=793sEzmU)
![Optics](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-07/Optics.jpg?itok=it_V--Tv)
The LLNL method for optimizing as built optical designs uses insights from perturbed optical system theory and reformulates perturbation of optical performance in terms of double Zernikes, which can be calculated analytically rather than by tracing thousands of rays. A new theory of compensation is enabled by the use of double Zernikes which allows the performance degradation of a perturbed…
![Hand polishing optics](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-06/Hand%20polishing%20optics.jpg?itok=wMDpDXGd)
LLNL's Slurry Stabilization Method provides a chemical means of stabilizing a polishing compound in suspension at working concentrations without reducing the rate of material removal. The treated product remains stable for many months in storage.
![Serrated Light Illumination for Deflection-Encoded Recording (SLIDER)](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-06/Serrated%20Light%20Illumination%20for%20Deflection-Encoded%20Recording%20%20%28SLIDER%29.jpg?itok=8Pa6FW-h)
The SLIDER deflector includes a waveguide, a serrated mask positioned above the waveguide cladding, and a synchronized pump beam. The pump beam illuminates the serrated mask with a short pulse and transfers its pattern to the guiding layer where it imprints a sequence of prisms. The prisms are activated via nonlinear optical effects in the semiconductor and persist for the duration of the…
![Laser Peening](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-06/Laser%20peening.jpg?itok=l2OKtGme)
LLNL’s system consists of one or more flashlamp-pumped Nd:glass zig-zag amplifiers, a very low threshold stimulated-Brillouin-scattering (SBS) phase conjugator system, and a free-running single frequency Nd:YLF master oscillator.
![nuclear reactor](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-06/nuclear%20reactor.jpg?itok=RMgGfrZv)
The new LLNL technique works by transiently removing and trapping concrete or rock surface material, so that contaminants are confined in a manner that is easy to isolate and remove. Our studies suggest that 10 m2 of surface could be processed per hour. The technique easily scales to more surface/hr.