High-energy amplifiers for the LASL glass-laser system

Rod amplifiers of 51-mm diameter and disk amplifiers with diameters of 51 and 86 mm were designed and some units have been built for use in a four-beam high-energy glass laser at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL). The design goals and measured characteristics of these amplifiers are discussed. Data on self-focusing damage in both rods and disks are presented. Important characteristics of capacitor-bank design, flashlamp construction, and laser glass are discussed. Completion of the four-beam system is scheduled for early 1974.