Dr. Richard A. Sacks Profile

Dr. Richard A. Sacks

Staff Physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Lab

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Author

Publications (20)

Proceedings Article | 4 March 2019 Paper

Broadband amplification in Nd3+ phosphate glass: single effective oscillator model and beyond

Thomas Lanier, Jean-Michel Di Nicola, Richard Sacks, Paul Wegner

Proceedings Volume 10898, 108980T (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2506427

KEYWORDS: Oscillators, Kerr effect, Glasses, National Ignition Facility, Laser glasses, Pulsed laser operation, Optical simulations, Hole burning spectroscopy, Laser amplifiers

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Proceedings Article | 26 February 2015 Paper

The virtual beamline (VBL) laser simulation code

R. Sacks, K. McCandless, E. Feigenbaum, J. M. Di Nicola, K. Luke, W. Riedel, R. Learn, B. Kraines

Proceedings Volume 9345, 93450M (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2084848

KEYWORDS: National Ignition Facility, Wave propagation, Beam propagation method, Optical simulations, Pulsed laser operation, Crystals, Relays, Laser development, Dispersion, Human-machine interfaces

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Proceedings Article | 26 February 2015 Paper

The commissioning of the advanced radiographic capability laser system: experimental and modeling results at the main laser output

J. M. Di Nicola, S. Yang, C. Boley, John Crane, J. Heebner, Thomas Spinka, P. Arnold, C. P. Barty, M. Bowers, T. Budge, K. Christensen, J. Dawson, G. Erbert, E. Feigenbaum, G. Guss, C. Haefner, M. Hermann, Doug Homoelle, J. Jarboe, J. Lawson, R. Lowe-Webb, Kathleen McCandless, Brent McHale, L. Pelz, P. Pham, M. Prantil, M. Rehak, M. Rever, Michael Rushford, R. Sacks, M. Shaw, D. Smauley, L. Smith, R. Speck, G. Tietbohl, P. Wegner, C. Widmayer

Proceedings Volume 9345, 93450I (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2080459

KEYWORDS: National Ignition Facility, Near field, Mirrors, Diagnostics, Picosecond phenomena, X-rays, Optical amplifiers, Performance modeling, Sensors, Fusion energy

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Proceedings Article | 28 May 2004 Paper

Optical propagation modeling for the National Ignition Facility

Wade Williams, Jerome Auerbach, Mark Henesian, Kenneth Jancaitis, Kenneth Manes, Naresh Mehta, Charles Orth, Richard Sacks, Michael Shaw, Clifford Widmayer

Proceedings Volume 5341, (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.538476

KEYWORDS: National Ignition Facility, Wavefronts, Optical amplifiers, Data modeling, Diffraction, Frequency conversion, Laser beam propagation, Metrology, Deformable mirrors, Sensors

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Proceedings Article | 3 April 2000 Paper

Wavefront control of high-power laser beams in the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

Richard Zacharias, Erlan Bliss, Scott Winters, Richard Sacks, Mark Feldman, Andrew Grey, Jeffrey Koch, Christopher Stolz, John Toeppen, Lewis Van Atta, Bruce Woods

Proceedings Volume 3889, (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.380902

KEYWORDS: Wavefronts, National Ignition Facility, Control systems, Actuators, Sensors, Mirrors, High power lasers, Computing systems, Coating, Deformable mirrors

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Proceedings Article | 23 July 1999 Paper

Application of adaptive optics for controlling the NIF laser performance and spot size

Richard Sacks, Jerome Auerbach, Erlan Bliss, Mark Henesian, Janice Lawson, Kenneth Manes, P. Renard, J. Thaddeus Salmon, John Trenholme, Wade Williams, Scott Winters, Richard Zacharias

Proceedings Volume 3492, (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.354146

KEYWORDS: Wavefronts, National Ignition Facility, Actuators, Adaptive optics, Optical amplifiers, Mirrors, Sensors, Beam splitters, Cobalt, Beam shaping

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Proceedings Article | 23 July 1999 Paper

National Ignition Facility (NIF) wavefront control system

Richard Zacharias, Erlan Bliss, Mark Feldman, Andrew Grey, Mark Henesian, Jeffrey Koch, Janice Lawson, Richard Sacks, J. Thaddeus Salmon, John Toeppen, Lewis Van Atta, Scott Winters, Bruce Woods, Carlo Lafiandra, Donald Bruns

Proceedings Volume 3492, (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.354181

KEYWORDS: Wavefronts, National Ignition Facility, Control systems, Sensors, Actuators, Deformable mirrors, Mirrors, Wavefront sensors, Control systems design, Near field optics

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Proceedings Article | 23 July 1999 Paper

NIF optical specifications: the importance of the RMS gradient

Janice Lawson, Jerome Auerbach, R. Edward English, Mark Henesian, John Hunt, Richard Sacks, John Trenholme, Wade Williams, Milton Shoup, John Kelly, Christopher Cotton

Proceedings Volume 3492, (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.354145

KEYWORDS: National Ignition Facility, Wavefronts, Optics manufacturing, Adaptive optics, Near field optics, Optical testing, Spatial frequencies, Wavefront distortions, Linear filtering, Manufacturing

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Proceedings Article | 19 July 1999 Paper

Wavefront control system for the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

Richard Zacharias, Erlan Bliss, Mark Feldman, Andrew Grey, Jeffrey Koch, Richard Sacks, John Toeppen, Lewis Van Atta, Scott Winters, Bruce Woods

Proceedings Volume 3749, (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.354735

KEYWORDS: Wavefronts, National Ignition Facility, Control systems, Wavefront sensors, Control systems design, Laser applications, Optics manufacturing, Computing systems, Sensors, Interferometers

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The use of lasers as the driver for inertial confinement fusion experiments and weapons physics applications is based on their ability to produce high-energy short pulses in a beam with low divergence. Indeed, the focusability of high quality laser beams far exceeds alternate technologies and is a major factor in the rationale for building lasers for such applications The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a large 192-beam laser facility now under construction at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for fusion and weapons physics experiments. Its uncorrected focal spot minimum size is limited by wavefront aberrations in the laser system. NIF is designed with a wavefront control system to correct these aberrations to yield a focal spot that is small enough for NIF' s intended applications. Sources of aberrations to be corrected include prompt pump-induced distortions in the laser amplifiers, thermal distortions in the amplifiers from previous shots, beam off-axis effects, and gravity, mounting, and coating-induced optic distortions. Aberrations from gas density variations and manufacturing figure errors in the optics are also partially corrected by the wavefront control system. The NIF wavefront control system consists of five subsystems for each of the 192 beams: 1) a deformable mirror, 2) a wavefront sensor, 3) a computer controller, 4) a wavefront reference system, and 5) a rapid reconfiguration system to allow the wavefront control system to operate to within one second of the laser shot. The system includes the capability for in situ calibrations and operates in closed loop prior to the shot. Shot wavefront data is recorded. This paper describes the function, realization, and performance of each wavefront control subsystem. Subsystem performance will be characterized by computer models and by test results. The focal spot improvement in the NIF laser system effected by the wavefront control system will be characterized through computer models. The sensitivity of the target focal spot to various aberration sources will be presented. Analyses to optimize the wavefront control system will also be presented.

Proceedings Article | 24 June 1998 Paper

Modeling characterization of the National Ignition Facility focal spot

Wade Williams, Jerome Auerbach, Mark Henesian, Janice Lawson, John Hunt, Richard Sacks, C. Clay Widmayer

Proceedings Volume 3264, (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.311904

KEYWORDS: Adaptive optics, National Ignition Facility, Modulation, Frequency conversion, Near field optics, Near field, Nano opto mechanical systems, Turbulence, Spatial filters, Phase shift keying

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Proceedings Article | 27 May 1998 Paper

Design modeling of the 100-J diode-pumped solid state laser for Project Mercury

Charles Orth, Raymond Beach, Camille Bibeau, Eric Honea, Kenneth Jancaitis, Janice Lawson, Christopher Marshall, Richard Sacks, Kathleen Schaffers, Jay Skidmore, Steven Sutton

Proceedings Volume 3265, (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.308664

KEYWORDS: Diodes, Crystals, Mercury, Semiconductor lasers, Adaptive optics, Optical amplifiers, Laser development, Absorption, Head, Laser systems engineering

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Proceedings Article | 8 December 1997 Paper

Focal spot characterization

Janice Lawson, P. Renard, Mark Henesian, Richard Sacks, Jerome Auerbach, David Speck

Proceedings Volume 3047, (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.294260

KEYWORDS: National Ignition Facility, Beam shaping, Optical simulations, Optical components, Laser scattering, Scattering, Computer simulations, Diffraction, Deformable mirrors, Spatial filters

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Proceedings Article | 8 December 1997 Paper

Propagation modeling in two transverse dimensions of the National Ignition Facility baseline performance

Richard Sacks, W. Williams, Mark Henesian, Charles Orth, Scott Haney, John Trenholme, Jerome Auerbach, Janice Lawson

Proceedings Volume 3047, (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.294341

KEYWORDS: National Ignition Facility, Performance modeling, Optimization (mathematics), Near field, Safety, Fusion energy, Databases, Modulation, Refractive index, Laser development

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Proceedings Article | 8 December 1997 Paper

Effect of amplifier gain, loss, and gain profile on system performance

C. Clay Widmayer, Alvin Erlandson, Charles Orth, Scott Haney, Richard Sacks, Mark Henesian, Janice Lawson, Mark Rotter, David Speck, John Trenholme, Bruno Van Wonterghem, Kenneth Jancaitis, Wade Williams

Proceedings Volume 3047, (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.294340

KEYWORDS: Optical amplifiers, National Ignition Facility, Electronic filtering, Diamond, Laser energy, Performance modeling, Signal attenuation, Diffraction, Vignetting, Lithium

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Proceedings Article | 8 December 1997 Paper

One-micron focal spot and the power spectrum of the noise field at the entrance to the UV generation and transport subsystem

Janice Lawson, P. Renard, Mark Henesian, Richard Sacks, Jerome Auerbach, David Speck

Proceedings Volume 3047, (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.294261

KEYWORDS: National Ignition Facility, Ultraviolet radiation, Optical simulations, Data modeling, Optical components, Interfaces, Computer simulations, Deformable mirrors, Astatine, Nonlinear optics

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Proceedings Article | 8 December 1997 Paper

Optimized NIF laser system based on ICF target requirements

Scott Haney, Wade Williams, Richard Sacks, Charles Orth, Jerome Auerbach, Janice Lawson, Mark Henesian, Kenneth Jancaitis, P. Renard, John Trenholme

Proceedings Volume 3047, (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.294343

KEYWORDS: National Ignition Facility, Data modeling, Optimization (mathematics), Optical amplifiers, Switches, Amplifiers, Frequency conversion, Parallel processing, Data conversion, Thermography

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The design of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the result of optimization studies that maximized laser performance and reliability within a restricted cost budget. We modeled the laser using a suite of tools that included a 1D propagation code, a frequency conversion code, a 2D ray trace code for calculating the gain profile, thermo- mechanical codes for calculating the pump-induced distortions in the slabs, a database giving estimates of optics bulk/finish quality, and costing models of the laser/building. By exploiting parallel processing, we were able to consider approximately 750 possible designs per hour using a cluster of 28 workstations. For our optimization studies, we used a temporally shaped (ICF indirect drive) pulse producing at least 2.2 MJ and 600 TW in a 600 micron diameter hole at the target entrance plane. We varied as many as 20 design variables (e.g., slab counts, slab thickness, Nd concentration, amplifier pulse length) and applied as many as 40 constants (e.g., flashlamp voltage and fluence damage/filamentation at various points in the chain). We did not vary the number of beamlets (fixed at 192 or the aperture (fixed at 40 cm). We used three different optimization approaches: a variable metric algorithm, an exhaustive grid search of more than 50,000 candidate designs, and a parabolic interpolation scheme. All three approaches gave similar results. Moreover, a graphical analysis of the parameter scan data (analogous to sorting and pruning designs using a spreadsheet) has allowed us to understand why the optimizers eliminated alternate designs. The most inexpensive main-switch-boot slab configuration meeting the mission requirements and satisfying all constraints was 9-5-3. The cost of this configuration is approximately $DOL10M less than the 9-5-5 conceptual design. However, the NIF Project has chosen a slightly more expensive 11-0-7 configuration for continued Title I engineering because of its similarity to the Beamlet 11-0-5 design and a lower B-integral.

Proceedings Article | 8 December 1997 Paper

Characterization of the one-micron beam profile at the interface between the one-micron laser and the UV generation and transport subsystem

P. Renard, C. Clay Widmayer, Jerome Auerbach, Scott Haney, Mark Henesian, John Hunt, Janice Lawson, Kenneth Manes, David Milam, Charles Orth, Richard Sacks, David Speck, John Trenholme, Wade Williams

Proceedings Volume 3047, (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.294259

KEYWORDS: National Ignition Facility, Ultraviolet radiation, Chlorine, Spatial filters, Interfaces, Near field, Mathematical modeling, Optical filters, Image filtering, Optical components

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Proceedings Article | 8 December 1997 Paper

Use of beam propagation modeling of Beamlet and Nova to ensure a "safe" National Ignition Facility laser system design

Mark Henesian, P. Renard, Jerome Auerbach, John Caird, B. Ehrlich, Steven Haney, John Hunt, Janice Lawson, Kenneth Manes, David Milam, Richard Sacks, Lynn Seppala, I. Smith, David Speck, Calvin Thompson, Bruno Van Wonterghem, Paul Wegner, Timothy Weiland, C. Clay Widmayer, Wade Williams, John Trenholme

Proceedings Volume 3047, (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.294244

KEYWORDS: Optical amplifiers, Spatial filters, Optical simulations, National Ignition Facility, Modulation, Near field, Optical filters, Laser beam propagation, Electronic filtering, Amplifiers

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Proceedings Article | 8 December 1995 Paper

Transverse stimulated Raman scattering in KDP

Charles Barker, Richard Sacks, Bruno Van Wonterghem, John Caird, John Murray, Jack Campbell, Kevin Kyle, Robert Ehrlich, Norman Nielsen

Proceedings Volume 2633, (1995) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.228327

KEYWORDS: Crystals, Raman scattering, Laser scattering, Light scattering, Scattering, Laser crystals, Raman spectroscopy, Nonlinear crystals, Harmonic generation, Data modeling

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Proceedings Article | 8 December 1995 Paper

Performance modeling of Beamlet

Jerome Auerbach, Janice Lawson, Mark Rotter, Richard Sacks, Bruno Van Wonterghem, Wade Williams

Proceedings Volume 2633, (1995) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.228305

KEYWORDS: Optical amplifiers, Optical components, Performance modeling, Optical testing, Phase shift keying, Diamond, Frequency converters, Spatial filters, Optical simulations, Systems modeling

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Showing 5 of 20 publications

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