Laser energetics and propagation modelling for the NIF

Abstract

Design, activation, and operation of modern high-energy, fusion-class lasers rely heavily on accurate simulation of laser performance. Setup, equipment protection, and data interpretation of the National Ignition Facility[1] (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are being controlled by a Laser Performance Operations Model (LPOM) [2], which, at its core, utilizes a Virtual Beam Line (VBL) simulation code to predict laser energetics, wavefront, near- and far-field beam profiles, and damage risk prior to each shot. This same simulation tool is being used widely to understand such diverse phenomena as regenerative-amplifier saturation, damage inspection system performance, fratricide risk from small-scale flaws in large optics, converter performance, and conjugate image formation.