On the generation of temporally shaped laser pulses for inertial confinement

Pulse shaping of some form is likely to be essential for laser fusion. The problems encountered in amplifying such pulses in present-day laser systems are studied in a computer model. Saturation effects in the amplifiers can significantly alter the input pulse shape. This pulse shape modification sets in when the output flux in the final amplifier reaches ≈ 15% of the saturation flux. Consequently, great flexibility is required for the pulse shaping mechanism if pulses of complex shapes are to be obtained at the output of a large laser amplifier systems. The problems have been simulated and analyzed for one beam line of the University of Rochester's planned 24 beam phosphate glass laser systems.