Timeline – 2008
OMEGA EP Laser Dedication
On May 16, 2008, Dr. Robert McCrory, Vice Provost, Director, and CEO of LLE, along with special guests, which included University of Rochester President Joel Seligman and University Provost Ralph Kuncl, US Senator Charles Schumer, US Congressman Thomas Reynolds, and Under Secretary for Nuclear Security for the US Department of Energy Thomas D’Agostino, dedicated the new OMEGA EP laser at the Robert L. Sproull Center for Ultra High Intensity Laser Research at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics.
OMEGA EP added four ultrahigh-intensity laser beams to LLE. The highest-energy laser in the world at the time, LLE’s lasers can unleash more than a petawatt of power onto a target just a millimeter across. Working in conjunction with the original 60-beam OMEGA, OMEGA EP will open the door to the development of advanced ignition techniques.
First Shots Fired on the OMEGA EP Laser System
The OMEGA EP Laser System was completed on time and within budget and initial experiments were started in the fourth quarter of FY08.
LLE Raises the Bar for Short-Pulse Energy On Target
On September 16, 2008, an OMEGA EP beamline irradiates a target with an energy of 1415 J in an 11-ps laser pulse. This energy is more than a factor-of-2 higher than any previously obtained with a short-pulse laser system.
