Coherent beam combining strategies for high-energy and high-repetition rate lasers dedicated to inertial nuclear fusion applications

Spatial coherent beam combining (CBC) strategies are particularly promising for lasers dedicated to nuclear fusion applications for the purpose of developing high-energy and high-repetition-rate lasers. Let us examine their potential application to high-energy, large-size beams with repetition rates that preclude phase correlation between subsequent pulses. Both passive and active CBC approaches are investigated in this study to identify the most appropriate and effective strategy for large-aperture, high-energy laser amplifiers. Specific experiments have been conducted to validate promising architectures for lasers dedicated to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) applications. Based on these experimental results, examples of suitable and well-adapted setups are proposed.