Kilojoule operation of the Aurora KrF ICF laser system at Los Alamos

The Los Alamos Aurora laser system, which is a prototype for developing high power short wavelength drivers for inertial confinement fusion (IGF), has passed through the final phases of construction and system integration. This system has been designed using the concepts ot optical angular multiplexing and serial amplification by electron- beam-pumped KrF laser amplifiers to deliver multikilojoule 248-nm 5-ns duration laser pulses to ICF targets. Figure 1 shows the Aurora system layout.