Laboratory for laser energetics report

During the year, several major experimental campaigns were carried out on OMEGA which investigated illumination uniformity, coronal physics, energy transport and ablation, high-Z plasma dynamics, atomic physics and X-ray laser physics, and fusion diagnostic development. Other laser-fusion research conducted during FY84 includes: (1) hydrodynamic simulations of thermal self-focusing in laser-produced plasmas; (2) holography was demonstrated as a potential method of characterizing the equivalent-target intensity distributions; (3) a conceptual design of a direct-drive laser-fusion reactor was developed; (4) a model for the Raman spectra observed in laser experiments was developed; (5) the shaping of electrical signals in microstriplines; (6) target-illumination uniformity; (7) microencapsulation techniques; (8) a new engineering criterion was developed for thin-film coatings; and (9) a collaboration with Los Alamos on direct-drive pellet design for large KrF systems, single-shell designs.