X-ray lasing - The Novette laser

The design and operational history of the Novette laser system, which served as a test bed for the Nova laser, are described. In the Novette, full-power harmonic conversion with large-aperture arrays of KDP crystals generates beams of green (0.53-micron) and ultraviolet (0.35- and 0.26- micron) light. Other innovations include segmented laser-amplifier disks which can be scaled up to almost arbitrarily large apertures; neutral-solution antireflection coatings on laser optics which more than triple the nominal damage threshold for 1-ns pulses (now 15 J/sq cm); and Nova-style digital control and diagnostic techniques. In addition to completing the inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments planned for its two-year lifetime, the Novette performed target experiments clarifying the physics of laser-plasma coupling, including the first demonstration of X-ray lasing. As many as six full-power shots a day were achieved.