This volume of the LLE Review, covering the period October-December 1991, contains articles on the analysis of argon-filled target experiments, and a theoretical analysis of the impact of nonlocal heat transport in laser filamentation in plasmas. In the Advanced Technology section there is an article on mechanisms that affect thin-film conductivity, and a report on the gain characteristics of the 20-cm SSA prototype amplifier to be used in the OMEGA Upgrade. Finally, the activities of the National Laser Users Facility and the GDL and OMEGA laser facilities are summarized. Highlights of the research reported in this issue are: argon radiation from argon-filled, polymer-shell targets is used as a core-temperature diagnostic and density diagnostic of the surrounding region in a regime where the argon line radiation is strongly absorbed. A theoretical analysis of the impact of nonlocal heat transport on laser filamentation in plasmas is developed. The resulting model is compared with experimental observations and the implications for ICF are discussed. A study of thermal conductivity in thin films seeks to identify mechanisms that result in degradation of thin-film conductivity. Identifying these mechanisms can lead to changes in the thin-film manufacture that will improve their resistance to laser damage.

This volume of the LLE Review, contains articles describing the results of imploding-target burnthrough experiments using smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD), and a practical nonlocal model for electron transport in laser plasmas. The section on advanced technology includes a report on explosion fraction measurements of water-cooled xenon flashlamps, results on perfluorinated copolymer coatings for high-power laser applications, and a time-resolved study of surface disordering of Pb(110). A brief report reviewing the projects from the high school summer student program is also included. Finally, the activities of the National Laser Users Facility and the GDL and OMEGA laser facilities are summarized.