Mitigation of multi-beam CBET with broadband lasers

ORAL

Abstract

Cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) is an undesirable energy-loss mechanism in directly-driven inertial-confinement-fusion (ICF) implosions. An earlier study [J.W. Bates et al., High Energy Density Phys. 36, 100772 (2020)] using a 2D version of the code LPSE [J.F. Myatt et al., J. Comp. Phys. 399, 108919 (2019)] demonstrated that for two, crossed, frequency-tripled, Nd:glass laser beams modeled with random speckle patterns, distributed phase plates and polarization smoothing, Gaussian bandwidths of about 1{\%} (8 THz) are effective at eliminating CBET in a plasma under ICF-relevant conditions. Here, we report on 2D and 3D LPSE simulations that examine CBET suppression in the multiple-laser-beam configuration used in direct-drive implosion on the OMEGA laser. In addition to Gaussian bandwidth, we also model the effects of laser ``detuning'' and smoothing by spectral dispersion and compare the efficacy of all three approaches for suppressing CBET between multiple, overlapped laser beams. Additionally, we will discuss in this presentation two possible techniques for CBET suppression in direct-drive ICF: i.) stimulated rotational Raman scattering; and ii.) excimer laser drivers.

*Work supported by U.S. DOE/NNSA

Authors

  • J. Bates

    • United States Naval Research Laboratory
    • NRL
  • Russell Follett

    • University of Rochester
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics, U. of Rochester
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14623
    • Laboratory for Laser Energetics
  • John Shaw

    • University of Rochester
  • Stephen P. Obenschain

    • United States Naval Research Laboratory
    • NRL
    • Plasma Physics Division, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
  • R. Lehmberg

    • United States Naval Research Laboratory
    • Research Support Instruments
    • RSI, Inc.
  • James Weaver

    • United States Naval Research Laboratory
  • D. Kehne

    • United States Naval Research Laboratory
    • NRL
  • Matthew Wolford

    • United States Naval Research Laboratory
  • Matthew Myers

    • United States Naval Research Laboratory
  • Jude Kessler

    • United States Naval Research Laboratory
  • Jason Myatt

    • University of Alberta
    • Univ of Alberta
    • Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada