Download or read book Surface Analytical Problems in the Laser Fusion Energy Program at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory written by and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Lawrence Livermore Laboratory is involved in a program to produce energy by the laser-induced fusion of microtargets. These laser systems have become very large and powerful. In Shiva, the amplifier rods common to smaller systems have been replaced with an array of large elliptical amplifier discs with major axes as large as 42 cm. Under the high power levels of these devices it is imperative that the optical surfaces remain scrupulously clean. All units are therefore cleaned, assembled, and operated under clean room conditions. In spite of such precautions, persistent problems arise. These can be grouped into three categories: (1) the appearance of unknown contaminants from unknown sources, (2) the transfer of material from one part of the assembly to another, and (3) laser beam damage to the optical surfaces. Theses problems and their resolution by surface analytical methods are discussed. In addition some unique problems associated with the very large sample sizes are described.