Light intensity distribution of high-power laser beams on target plane under different focus system of 22 beam array

Abstract

Large aperture high-power laser drivers usually focus the high power laser beams in 22 quads to the target chamber center in order to increase the light intensity on the target plane. The large aperture wedged focus lenses are the core components in the focus system of quadruplets of beams, and it is thought possible to use four two-dimensional off-axis wedged focus lenses as four sub-lenses to make up a larger aperture wedged focus lens in form to focus the four beams. Given that the large aperture two-dimensional off-axis wedged focus lenses are processed and used difficultly, the wedged focus lenses are divided into three categories: the two-dimensional off-axis wedged focus lenses, the one-dimensional off-axis wedged focus lenses, and the non-off-axis wedged focus lenses. On the basis of the three modes of the wedged focus lenses and the corresponding specific incidence angles of each sub-beam, the three focus schemes for the 22 beam array are put forward to comparatively research the light intensity distribution on the target plane. Research results show that from a perspective of the coherence among the four sub-beams, the phase factors of each sub-beam respectively introducing by the three focus systems with the two-dimensional off-axis, one-dimensional off-axis, and non-off-axis wedged focus lenses are asymmetric, asymmetric and symmetric inside each sub-beam, and symmetric, asymmetric and symmetric among the four sub-beams. Therefore, the wave front consistency of the four sub-beams decreases in the order of the focus systems with the non-off-axis, two-dimensional off-axis, and one-dimensional off-axis wedged focus lenses. The focus schemes with the non-off-axis wedged focus lenses for 22 beam array can get the narrowest main-lobe, the strongest peak-value intensity, the highest energy concentration ratio on the target plane, followed by the one-dimensional off-axis and two-dimensional off-axis wedged focus lenses. The off-axis mode of the wedged focus lenses not only increases the complexity in the course of processing and using, but also increases the main-lobe size, decreases the peak-value intensity and the energy concentration ratio, which obtains a weaker focusing characteristics than that of the non-off-axis mode of the wedged focus lenses. Research results can provide an important reference for the design of the focus system in the target area of high-power laser drivers.