It is proposed that it is possible to amplify the energy of a pulsed
laser beam by imploding it inside a capillary metallic liner. If imploded
with megaampere currents by the pinch effect, implosion velocities up to
∼3 × 108 cm/s can be reached, imploding a few cm
long liner with an inner radius of 2 × 10−3 cm in
about ∼10−10 s. If the liner radius can be imploded
by 30-fold, the laser pulse would in the absence of absorption losses into
the linear wall be amplified 1000-fold. Because the amplification is
through the conversion from longer to shorter wave lengths, the concept
offers the prospect of intense short wave length laser pulses in the far
ultraviolet and soft X-ray domain. Apart from the direct drive laser beam
compression by the pinch effect, an alternative indirect drive through the
conversion of the electric pulse power into soft X-rays is possible as
well. The limitations of this concept are the absorption losses into the
liner wall, and ways to overcome these losses are presented. The most
important application of the proposed laser amplification scheme might be
for the fast ignition of various inertial confinement fusion schemes. An
integrated fast ignition inertial confinement fusion concept using the
indirect drive is also presented.
