<title>Use of power spectral density (PSD) functions in specifying optics for the National Ignition Facility</title>

Abstract

In the second half of the 1990's, LLNL and others will be designing and beginning construction of the National Ignition Facility. This new laser will be capable of producing the worlds first controlled fusion ignition and burn, completing a vital milestone on the path of Fusion Energy. This facility will use more than 7,000 optical components, most of which have a rectangular aperture, which measure greater than 600 mm on the diagonal. In order to optimize the performance versus cost of the laser system, we have determined that specifications based on the Power Spectral Density (PSD) functions are the most effective for controlling mid-spatial wavelength errors. The draft optics specifications based on a combination of PSD and conventional roughness and P-V requirements are presented, with a discussion of their origins. The emphasis is on the application of a PSD function for transmitted wavefront optical specifications, and the benefits thereof. The PSD function is the most appropriate way to characterize transmitted wavefront errors with spatial frequencies ranging from several centimeters to a few hundred nanometers, with amplitudes in the (lambda) /100 regime. Such errors are commonly generated by cost effective, deterministic finishing technologies, and can be damaging to the laser, as well as causing unnecessary energy loss and inability to focus, in a high energy laser application. In addition, periodic errors can occur as a result of errors at other steps in the fabrication process, such as machine vibration in a fixed abrasive step, or material homogeneity ripple. The control of such errors will be essential to the construction of future high energy lasers.