NIF

NIF
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NIF

Specifications:

NIF = National Ignition Facility
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
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1.8 MJ, 5 ns, 360 TW
192 beams
one shot every 8-14 hours
Purpose
- Conduct high-energy-density experiments with T_e=600 eV
- Demonstrate inertial fusion ignition

Schematic of NIF and Beamlet from 1997, Review of the Department of Energy's Inertial Confinement Fusion Program : The National Ignition Facility - Technological Readiness - NIF LASER TECHNOLOGY (684 x 450 size = 34,969 bytes)
Schematic of NIF optical path
Diagram of NIF building from 1997, Review of the Department of Energy's Inertial Confinement Fusion Program : The National Ignition Facility - Technological Readiness - NIF LASER TECHNOLOGY (707 x 475 size = 99,025 bytes)
Diagram image map (HTML)
Laser timing chart (from Nov 1998 Science and Technology Review)
Control systems (from Nov 1998 Science and Technology Review)
NIF Diagram (pdf) (see page 3, figure 3, NIF News, May 1997)
NIF Components : March 1998 Science and Technology Review
Four pulses of different colors are created in Nd:glass oscillators which are split into 192 beams and guided to the amplifier chains by optical fibers.

2 ´ 2 ´ 4 amplifier cassette unit :

Cross section diagram, handles 8 beams in parallel
Prototype
Image of cassette during a shot
GIF animation of flashlamps pumping of cassette
PDF photo of cassette being loaded (pdf) on page 17, Laser Programs Highlights 1997
Platinum-free Nd phosphate glass amplifier slabs
- 44 ´ 79 cm, 50 kg slabs (each beamline contains eighteen Brewster angled violet-hued slabs)
- Slabs emerging from the continuous melting assembly line
- Slab from Schott Optical Glass continuous melter meets the 1-micron absorption specification. (from ICF Program Monthly Highlights, April 1998
- Amplifiers amplify laser energy by 14 percent (Hoya Corporation's laser glass-manufacturing facility in Fremont, California. Will make up to 3,000 slabs for NIF and Mégajoule)

Plasma electrode Pockels cell (PEPC)

Full-aperture deformable mirror tested by engineer Scott Winters. 40 cm², 39 actuators from NIF Components : March 1998 Science and Technology Review (461 x 370 size = 263,144 bytes)

Adjusting spatial-filter telescopes in preamplifier module prototype (PAM) (from ICF Program Monthly Highlights, Aug 1998)

Frequency conversion KDP crystals

Deterated potassium dihydrogen phophate crytal, 52 ´ 53 cm² laterally and 51 cm tall, will yield 17 conversion plates. (from ICF Program Monthly Highlights, Oct 1998
Natalia Zaitseva opposite a DKDP frequency doubling crystal grown in 6 weeks. (from photo archive)
5 crystals (from NIF)

Target chamber :

Diagram
Another diagram (from physics news)
Two configurations (see Aug 1999 Science and Technology Review)
Completed target chamber (from NIF)
Image, 190 holes, 11 cm thick aluminum alloy 5083-0, 10 meter 118,000 kilogram (see Sep 1999 Science and Technology Review)
TRXI, Time Resolved X-Ray Imager (from diagnostic page)

Building

Beamlet :

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