OMEGA Laser System
The OMEGA Laser System is a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to inertial confinement fusion research and high-energy-density physics experiments.
OMEGA 60 Laser System’s unique features and capabilities make it an invaluable tool for the scientific community, advancing our understanding of fusion science, astrophysics, and high-energy-density physics.
As a user facility, it supports collaborative research efforts from national laboratories, academic institutions, and international partners, driving progress toward practical fusion energy and enhancing our knowledge of the universe.
Features
- Symmetric drive energy from 60 laser beams
- Infrared laser with Neodymium glass laser medium (1053nm)
- Each beam is frequency-tripled for high-absorption (351nm)
- 3.3-meter diameter target chamber
- Precise beam synchronization and alignment
- Flexible pulse shaping with custom shapes ranging from 100ps to 4ns in duration
- Advanced diagnostics suite
- Versatile target positioning system
- Cryogenic target handling capabilities
The Nation’s ICF Workhorse
The OMEGA 60 laser system is the ICF workhorse at LLE, and forms the backbone of fusion research conducted within the national ICF community.
OMEGA EP adds advanced capabilities like short-pulse laser beams, to study advanced ignition concepts and supports experiments requiring extremely high power or fast timing.
Capabilities
- Laser Performance: The OMEGA Laser System delivers up to 30 kilojoules of frequency-tripled ultraviolet (351 nm) energy on target using 60 laser beams. Each beam can produce precisely shaped pulses with durations from 0.1 to 4 nanoseconds for a total on-target power exceeding 30 terawatts.
- Uniform Illumination: The system provides highly uniform, symmetrically driven irradiation using distributed phase plates, smoothing by spectral dispersion, and polarization smoothing—enabling precision target compression for inertial confinement fusion.
- Pulse Shaping and Timing: OMEGA supports programmable ultraviolet pulse shapes with sub-100 picosecond resolution and pulse-to-pulse reproducibility. The timing of each beam is synchronized to within 10 picoseconds to ensure accurate temporal overlap. Each beam can also be offset.
- Targeting and Alignment: Advanced imaging, alignment, and beam-pointing systems achieve target positioning accuracy within 10 micrometers. Targets can be placed in specialized spherical cryogenic or planar cryogenic target mounts for a wide range of experimental configurations.
- Comprehensive Diagnostics Inventory: A broad range of fixed and interchangeable diagnostics are maintained by the facility and available to the user community.
OMEGA’s high energy, precision control, and diagnostic versatility make it one of the world’s premier facilities for exploring inertial confinement fusion, high-energy-density physics, and laser–matter interactions.