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NIF optics (open access)

NIF optics

One of the major highlights of the technology development for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the optics. NIF will be the largest laser ever built, requiring 7500 large optics (over one foot across) and more than 30,000 small optics. The design, manufacture, and assembly of these important pieces have called for innovative ways to make optics of higher quality than ever before, and to do so at unprecedented speeds. The most obvious role of NIF optics is to steer the 192 laser beams through the 700-foot-long building onto a dime-size laser-fusion target. The less obvious optic roles are using NIF laser glass to create laser light out of normal light, and using KDP crystals to convert that laser light to the correct frequency; both of which are technically challenging requirements. The Optics Processing Laboratory and Optics Assembly Building enable the final preparation and mounting of these amazing optics for their use in NIF.
Date: August 30, 2000
Creator: Parham, T
System: The UNT Digital Library