ABSTRACT
For the iodine photodissociation laser system to be considered as a viable alternative to the Nd: glass laser in short-term laser fusion experiments, the ability to produce high-energy laser pulses of duration less than 100 ps must be proven. Accordingly, the emphasis of the research work currently being carried out at Manchester University is on obtaining an understanding of the problems of 100 ps pulse generation in the iodine system. Our present experimental effort is on the construction of a 30 J, 100 ps oscillator/amplifier system utilizing high-pressure operation (typically 5 atm argon partial pressure) to generate the required bandwidth.
