AO for laser fusion: the challenges of controlling hundreds of high-power laser beams

Abstract

Laser-driven inertial fusion requires high-energy laser drivers that are faster, more stable, and more repeatable than present landmark ignition systems. Depending on the driver concept, such systems may require hundreds to thousands of beamlines, making beam control a problem not only of stability and repeatability, but also of safety and operability. Adaptive optics is a powerful building block for this task, but it is not a complete solution by itself. This paper connects laser-damage constraints, driver architecture, aberration sources, correction placement, reference degradation, and facility-level operation into one beam-control problem. Using the Apollon Real-Time Adaptive Optics system as a case study, it argues that single-conjugate pre-compensation is insufficient for fusion-relevant drivers and that adaptive optics must become part of an integrated Adaptive Laser Architecture for sensing, correction, and automation.