Abstract

Multisegment amplifiers (MSAs)¹ are being developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to minimize the size, complexity, and cost of multimegajoule Nd:glass laser drivers for inertial confinement fusion experiments, MSAs amplify segmented beams using arrays of rectangular slabs mounted at the Brewster’s angle with respect to the direction of beam propagation. The slabs are stacked vertically one on top of another, and are separated horizontally by central flashlamp arrays that pump in both directions. The slabs nearest the sides of the amplifier are also pumped by flashlamp arrays that have large reflectors behind the lamps to redirect the radiation in one direction.

© 1992 Optical Society of America