Solid state laser design for inertial confinement fusion: Trends toward power production

Abstract
Diode-pumped solid state lasers have the potential efficiency and repetition rate required for power production. One current candidate for laser materials is an Ytterbium doped ceramic. Yb doped sesquioxides are promising laser materials opening new fields during the research phase to demonstrate ignition and fusion gain (including the fast ignitor concept). We think that cryogenically cooled diode pumped Yb: ceramic laser is the best way to operating at high average power an that all of the operational features of the laser can be demonstrated at an aperture scale of only 10-15 cm.