About OMEGA EP
The OMEGA EP (extended performance) Laser System, in operation since 2008, is an addition to the 60-beam UV OMEGA Laser System and extends the performance and capabilities of the Omega Laser Facility at LLE. OMEGA EP has four, frequency-tripled, kilojoule class, independently configurable NIF-scale beamlines, two of which can be compressed for short pulse, petawatt-class operation. The combination of high intensity and high energy in short- and long-pulse operation combined with flexible diagnostic systems enables a wide range of experimental configurations for cutting-edge plasma, high-field, high-pressure materials and high-energy-density (HED) research as well as the development of advanced radiation sources for applications. A full-system shot cycle of approximately 1.5 h is typical with 7 to 8 shots per day; however, interleaved beam operation on a 45-minute shot cycle is possible for compatible experiments with 2× more shots per day.
OMEGA EP Media Galleries
Grating Compressor Chamber (GCC)
OMEGA EP Time Lapse Movie Galleries
OMEGA EP Short-Pulse Laser Capabilities
OMEGA EP beams 1 and 2 can be compressed for short-pulse operation. In FY19 these beams can provide 1053-nm light with up to 0.5 kJ in 0.7 ps, 1.25 kJ in 10 ps, and 2.3 kJ in 100 ps, with a best focus of ~30-µm diameter containing 80% of laser energy. The peak laser intensity is above 2 × 1020W/cm2, with an intensity contrast of approximately 1010. Other pulse durations between 0.7 ps to 100 ps can also be supported. When operated together, the two short-pulse beams propagate to two perpendicular off-axis parabolas (OAP’s) in the OMEGA EP target chamber, or alternatively are combined to co-propagate along a single “backlighter” (Beam 2) axis. In any short-pulse configuration, OMEGA EP beams 3 and 4 can provide simultaneous long-pulse operation for target preconditioning. It is also possible to transport the short-pulse Beam 2 (and Beam 1 in co-propagation mode) to the OMEGA chamber for joint operation with the OMEGA 60 laser.
OMEGA EP Long-Pulse Laser Capabilities
All four OMEGA EP beams can provide long-pulse (0.1- to 10-ns) operation to the OMEGA EP target chamber. In this mode, the beams provide frequency-tripled light (351 nm) in individually configured pulse shapes containing up to 5 kJ. Distributed phase plates (DPP’s) are used to produce smooth super-Gaussian focal spots (108) with diameters of 400 to 2000 µm. Best focus without DPP’s produce a spot size of ~100 µm.
OMEGA EP Target Diagnostic Systems
A wide range of flexible diagnostic systems are available for experiments at the OMEGA EP chamber. Three dedicated Target Positioning Systems (TPS) enable control for multi-target geometries. Five ten-inch manipulators (TIM’s) provide a standardized fielding platform compatible with over 30 instruments, in addition to many fixed-port diagnostics. Commonly used techniques include gas-jet plasma generation, externally generated magnetic fields up to 50 T, x-ray imaging, spectroscopy and radiography, proton radiography, electron/positron and ion spectroscopy, powder x-ray diffraction, velocimetry (VISAR) and streaked optical pyrometry (SOP), and 4ω optical probing. LLE is committed to working with outside users to develop and introduce new diagnostic systems based on the users’ needs.