The demands on optical materials in high power lasers for inertial fusion energy

Laser technologies have played a pivotal role in advancing science. Ultrafast lasers focused to ultra-high intensities (> 10^21 W/cm^2) make it possible to generate high density plasmas at which produce intense sources of x-rays rays and drive fusion reactions, and to accelerate electrons to GeV energies in a few tens of centimeters . Simultaneous advances in laser and target technologies were key to demonstrate laser driven fusion with net energy gain at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory National Ignition Facility in Dec. 2022. In large part, advances in laser technologies rely on advances in materials. In this talk I will describe basic laser architectures that are being developed as drivers for laser fusion. In particular I will emphasize the role of dielectric coatings which are ubiquitous in high power laser systems and will layout the opportunities that exist to advance these materials to the next level. I will provide a glimpse of parallel efforts in materials’ studies which are fundamental to support and advance laser fusion. Work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Fusion Energy Sciences, under Award No. DE-SC0024882: IFE-STAR.