Silica final lens performance in laser fusion facilities: HiPER and LIFE

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Garoz, David, González-Arrabal, R., Juárez, R., Álvarez, J., Sanz, J., Perlado, J. M., Rivera, A.
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
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author Garoz, David
González-Arrabal, R.
Juárez, R.
Álvarez, J.
Sanz, J.
Perlado, J. M.
Rivera, A.
author_facet Garoz, David
González-Arrabal, R.
Juárez, R.
Álvarez, J.
Sanz, J.
Perlado, J. M.
Rivera, A.
contents Nowadays, the projects LIFE (Laser Inertial Fusion Energy) in USA and HiPER (High Power Laser Energy Research) in Europe are the most advanced ones to demonstrate laser fusion energy viability. One of the main points of concern to properly achieve ignition is the performance of the final optics (lenses) under the severe irradiation conditions that take place in fusion facilities. In this paper, we calculate the radiation fluxes and doses as well as the radiation-induced temperature enhancement and colour centre formation in final lenses assuming realistic geometrical configurations for HiPER and LIFE. On these bases, the mechanical stresses generated by the established temperature gradients are evaluated showing that from a mechanical point of view lenses only fulfill specifications if ions resulting from the imploding target are mitigated. The absorption coefficient of the lenses is calculated during reactor startup and steady-state operation. The obtained results evidence the necessity of new solutions to tackle ignition problems during the startup process for HiPER. Finally, we evaluated the effect of temperature gradients on focal length changes and lens surface deformations. In summary, we discuss the capabilities and weak points of silica lenses and propose alternatives to overcome predictable problems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2402_09468
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Silica final lens performance in laser fusion facilities: HiPER and LIFE
Garoz, David
González-Arrabal, R.
Juárez, R.
Álvarez, J.
Sanz, J.
Perlado, J. M.
Rivera, A.
Optics
Nowadays, the projects LIFE (Laser Inertial Fusion Energy) in USA and HiPER (High Power Laser Energy Research) in Europe are the most advanced ones to demonstrate laser fusion energy viability. One of the main points of concern to properly achieve ignition is the performance of the final optics (lenses) under the severe irradiation conditions that take place in fusion facilities. In this paper, we calculate the radiation fluxes and doses as well as the radiation-induced temperature enhancement and colour centre formation in final lenses assuming realistic geometrical configurations for HiPER and LIFE. On these bases, the mechanical stresses generated by the established temperature gradients are evaluated showing that from a mechanical point of view lenses only fulfill specifications if ions resulting from the imploding target are mitigated. The absorption coefficient of the lenses is calculated during reactor startup and steady-state operation. The obtained results evidence the necessity of new solutions to tackle ignition problems during the startup process for HiPER. Finally, we evaluated the effect of temperature gradients on focal length changes and lens surface deformations. In summary, we discuss the capabilities and weak points of silica lenses and propose alternatives to overcome predictable problems.
title Silica final lens performance in laser fusion facilities: HiPER and LIFE
topic Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.09468