2009

OMAN’s Last NIF Polarizer Run
The last of the spare NIF polarizer optics were coated in the 72-in. chamber. This marked the completion of an eight-year NIF large-optic coating production phase carried out by OMAN, the LLE optical manufacturing group.

First Omega Laser Facility Users Group (OLUG) Workshop
The first Omega Laser Facility Users Group Workshop was held, attracting 110 researchers from 29 universities and laboratories and four countries. The purpose of the workshop was to facilitate communication and exchanges among the individual users and between the users and LLE. Almost 50 presentations highlighting ongoing and proposed research experiments were given, primarily by the 32 students and postdoctoral candidates in attendance.

Shock-Timing Technique for Ignition Targets at the NIF
LLE, in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), demonstrated a key shock-timing technique for ignition targets at the NIF. This technique is critical for optimizing the drive profiles for high-performance ICF capsules, which are compressed by multiple precisely timed shock waves. These results provide confidence that shock velocity and timing can be measured in NIF ignition targets, thereby optimizing these critical parameters.