The formation of a collisional shock wave by the light pressure of a short-laser pulse at intensities in the range of 1018–1023 W/cm2 is considered. In this regime the thermodynamic parameters of the equilibrium states, before and after the shock transition, are related to the relativistic Rankine–Hugoniot equations. The electron and ion temperatures associated with these shock waves are calculated. It is shown that if the time scale of energy dissipation is shorter than the laser pulse duration a collisional shock is formed. The electrons and the ions in the shock-heated layer may have equal or different temperatures, depending on the laser pulse duration, the material density and the laser intensity. This shock wave may serve as a heating mechanism in a fast ignition scheme.

Exceptionally high reaction gains of hydrogen protons measured with the boron isotope 11 are compared with other fusion reactions. This is leading to the conclusion that secondary avalanche reactions are happening and confirming the results of high-gain, neutron-free, clean, safe, low-cost, and long-term available energy. The essential basis is the unusual non-thermal block-ignition scheme with picosecond laser pulses of extremely high powers above the petawatt range.

We describe the role for the next-generation “superlasers” in the study of matter under extremely high-energy-density conditions in comparison with previous uses of nuclear explosives for this purpose. As examples, we focus on three important areas of physics that have unresolved issues that must be addressed by experiment: equations of state, hydrodynamic instabilities, and the transport of radiation. We describe some of the advantages the large lasers will have in a comprehensive, laboratory-based experimental program.

Experimental results on the compression of shell targets with aspect ratio A = 150–250 in the “Delfin-1” installation are reported. The absorbed laser energy was 0·3 to 0·5 kJ. The maximum compression was 3·5 × 103, the velocity of target compression at the final stage was 2·6 × 107 cm/s, neutron yield was 106 to 107 D-D neutrons per laser shot. The appearence of plasma corona filamentation correlated with compression stability distruction.

Los Alamos National Laboratory short pulse experiments have shown using various target cleaning techniques such that heavy ion beams of different charge states can be produced. Furthermore, by controlling the thickness of light ions on the rear of the target, monoenergetic ion pulses can be generated. The spectral shape of the accelerated particles can be controlled to yield a range of distributions, from Maxwellian to ones possessing a monoenergetic peak at high energy. The key lies in understanding and utilizing target surface chemistry. Careful monitoring and control of the surface properties and induction of reactions at different temperatures allows well defined source layers to be formed, which in turn lead to the desired energy spectra in the acceleration process. Theoretical considerations provide understanding of the process of monoenergetic ion production. In addition, numerical modeling has identified a new acceleration mechanism, the laser break-out afterburner that could potentially boost particle energies by up to two orders of magnitude for the same laser parameters. This mechanism may enable application of laser-accelerated ion beams to venues such as compact accelerators, tumor therapy, and ion fast ignition.

Magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) based on neutral particle beam irradiation reached the highest gains with JET and is discussed in relation to the ITER project for a possible re-orientation with respect to the ignition process. Ignition plays a similar role for inertial confinement fusion (ICF). After a short review about specific ICF developments, the fast igniter development offered a re-consideration of igniting DT fuel at modest or low compression. The observation of extreme anomalies (Sauerbrey 1996, Zhang et al., 1998 and Badziak et al., 1999) at interaction of picosecond (ps) laser pulses above TW power could be explained as a skin layer mechanism based on earlier computations (Hora et al., 2002) with nonlinear (ponderomotive) force acceleration. The resulting very high ion current density space charge neutral plasma blocks interacting as pistons to ignite DT may lead to a new scheme of laser fusion with low cost energy generation.

Intense heavy ion beams from the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI, Darmstadt, Germany) accelerator facilities, together with two high energy laser systems: petawatt high energy laser for ion experiments (PHELIX) and nanosecond high energy laser for ion experiments (NHELIX) are a unique combination to facilitate pioneering beam-plasma interaction experiments, to generate and probe high-energy-density (HED) matter and to address basic physics issues associated with heavy ion driven inertial confinement fusion. In one class of experiments, the laser will be used to generate plasma and the ion beam will be used to study the energy loss of energetic ions in ionized matter, and to probe the physical state of the laser-generated plasma. In another class of experiments, the intense heavy ion beam will be employed to create a sample of HED matter and the laser beam, together with other diagnostic tools, will be used to explore the properties of these exotic states of matter. The existing heavy ion synchrotron facility, SIS18, deliver an intense uranium beam that deposit about 1 kJ/g specific energy in solid matter. Using this beam, experiments have recently been performed where solid lead foils had been heated and a brightness temperature on the order of 5000 K was measured, using a fast multi-channel pyrometer that has been developed jointly by GSI and IPCP Chernogolovka. It is expected that the future heavy ion facility, facility for antiprotons and ion research (FAIR) will provide compressed beam pulses with an intensity that exceeds the current beam intensities by three orders of magnitude. This will open up the possibility to explore the thermophysical and transport properties of HED matter in a regime that is very difficult to access using the traditional methods of shock compression. Beam plasma interaction experiments using dense plasmas with a Γ-parameter between 0.5 and 1.5 have also been carried out. This dense Ar-plasma was generated by explosively driven shockwaves and showed enhanced energy loss for Xe and Ar ions in the energy range between 5.9 to 11.4 MeV.

2D arrays of laser diodes were developed and investigated under QCW operating conditions. Output power and energy density up to 1 kW/cm2 and 0.45 J/cm2 (at pulse duration 0.5 ms) were measured at the wavelength 810 nm. The spectral composition of radiation, shape of the output pulses, and far-field and near-field radiation zones were examined under various pumping parameters. The kinetics of the temperature profiles in monolithic QCW AlGaAs/GaAs linear bars and 2D arrays, emitting at the wavelength 810 nm was modeled numerically. Quasi-CW and CW operation under various pump parameters were considered as a function of a heat sink design. A calculation model was used to interpret the experimental dependences of the output parameters of the arrays on the pump conditions for application in the solid-state laser driver project. The limit of total power conversion efficiency of diode lasers was analyzed in respect of the threshold current density, series resistance and external differential quantum efficiency. The estimated maximum value of 75% was obtained for the present technological level of the diode lasers production. The corresponding limit of the output optical power density of 2D laser array was defined around 10 kW/cm2.