LLE > Past Quick Shots

First Joint OMEGA EP Experiments Between LLE and CEA/DIF

Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique (CEA) team (left to right: Olivier Landoas, Jean-Luc Bourgade, and Cédric Courtois from DAM Ile de France, Bruyères le Châtel) participating on the first joint experiments on OMEGA EP for characterizing MeV photon generation under short pulse (0.6 ps) and powerful (0.5 PW) laser irradiation on a solid target (Au).

Posted 1/06/08

Neutron Time-of-Flight Detector in Fabrication

The lower housing of a neutron time-of-flight (nTOF) detector is shown shortly after being machined at LLE. The completed nTOF detector will be used to obtain ion temperatures from integrated fast-ignition experiments on OMEGA

Posted 12/09/08

Radiative Shock Hydrodynamics Experiments

A team from the University of Michigan (pictured at left) carried out experiments on radiative shock hydrodynamics on OMEGA in October.

Posted 11/04/08

OMEGA EP Raises the Bar for Short-Pulse Energy on Target

On 16 September 2008, an OMEGA EP beamline irradiated a target with an energy of 1415 J in an 11-ps laser pulse. This energy is more than a factor of two higher than any previously obtained with a short-pulse laser system.

Posted 10/01/08

Inertial Confinement Fusion: An Introduction

The LLE has created a book for readers of all backgrounds to learn about and share the excitement of inertial fusion research. Click on the image at left to download a .pdf file (28.7 MB).

Posted 9/12/08

Summer Research Program

High school student Rachel Kurchin (The Harley School) examines a spherical target inside a glass hohlraum. Rachel is one of 15 students participating in this year's LLE Summer High School Research Program. See next month's Around the Lab section for an in-depth look at the students' projects.

Posted 8/22/08

Off-Axis Parabolic Optic

The off-axis parabolic optic was installed onto the off-axis parabola inserter/manipulator at OMEGA port H7.
The optic was installed for joint OMEGA and OMEGA EP shots in support of advanced ignition development.

Posted 8/11/08

OMEGA EP Sidelighter Path is Active

The second set of beam-delivery optics to the OMEGA EP target chamber was aligned and initial target shots were taken during the week of 30 June. The OMEGA EP target chamber is shown illuminated by the second-harmonic (527-nm-wavelength) green light generated when the high-intensity (>100 J in a 10-ps pulse) infrared laser hit the target. The final focusing optic, an off-axis parabola, is seen on the right-hand side of the image.

Posted 7/28/08

OMEGA EP Large Aperture Grating Tiling Development Team

A view of the entire OMEGA EP upper compressor inside the grating compressor chamber (GCC). The four tiled-grating assemblies (TGA's) are prominent in the right half of the picture. In the inset is the team that fielded two full-scale tiled-grating compressors in the GCC on OMEGA EP. Both compressors achieved less than 1 ps pulse width.

Posted 7/16/08

Captain Steven J. Loucks Retires

On Monday, 23 June 2008, coworkers and friends gathered to celebrate the retirement of Captain Steven J. Loucks, Deputy Director of the Laboratory, Director of the Engineering Division, and OMEGA Facility Director. Loucks has been with LLE since 1990.

Posted 7/07/08

NIF Preamplifier Module (PAM) Arrives at LLE

The NIF PAM arrived at LLE for integration into the OMEGA EP Laser System. More information about the NIF PAM will be available in the "Around the Laboratory" section later this summer.

Posted 5/21/08