Abstract

In any laser fusion scheme dependent on adiabatic implosion of the fusion target, it is of the utmost importance to illuminate the target uniformly over its entire surface area. A convenient method of providing illumination over the entire spherical surface from two beams was proposed by Thomas.¹ In this method, a catadioptric system is employed, involving a fast (NA 0.7) lens and a pair of ellipsoidal mirrors of eccentricity ⅓. Subsequent refinements of this scheme have been developed at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory.²

© 1976 Optical Society of America