OMEGA experimental program and recent results

The OMEGA laser system at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics is now a fully operational UV target irradiation facility with a program designed to address direct-drive laser fusion issues relevant to the U.S. National Ignition Facility presently under construction at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). In addition, OMEGA is used to support the indirect-drive laser fusion program at LLNL and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. This paper describes the laser characteristics as well as some details of the experimental program that has been carried out over the past three years at this facility.