Commissioning of the General Atomics LAboratory for Developing Rep-rated Instrumentation and Experiments with Lasers (GALADRIEL)

Present and future lasers used for studying high-energy-density (HED) physics and inertial fusion energy (IFE) will operate at repetition rates of ~0.1-10Hz. However, most diagnostics and target-fielding strategies presently implemented at single-shot facilities require breaking vacuum between shots to exchange film-media and replace a stalked target; an experimental paradigm that must change as the community moves to rep-rated operation. The GALADRIEL facility will serve as a test bed to enable rapid development and testing of rep-rated technologies, including diagnostics, targetry, data management, and control systems. GALADRIEL is built around a commercial ~1TW (~20fs, ~25mJ, 800nm) Ti:Sapph laser that is capable of up to 10Hz operation. Commissioning experiments implement a gas-jet target to generate ~MeV electrons through the laser-wakefield acceleration scheme. Initial rep-ratable diagnostics to characterize the laser-plasma interaction include a magnet-based electron spectrometer and the path-integrated density using a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. Recent results will be presented along with current and future capabilities of the GALADRIEL facility.