Laser Performance Operations Model (LPOM): The computational system that automates the setup and performance analysis of the National Ignition Facility

摘要

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a stadium-sized facility containing a 192-beam, 1.8 MJ, 500-TW, 351-nm laser system together with a 10-m diameter target chamber with room for many target diagnostics. NIF is the world's largest laser experimental system, providing a national center to study inertial confinement fusion and the physics of matter at extreme energy densities and pressures. A computational system, the Laser Performance Operations Model (LPOM) has been developed that automates the laser setup process, and accurately predict laser energetics. LPOM uses diagnostic feedback from previous NIF shots to maintain accurate energetics models (gains and losses), as well as links to operational databases to provide 'as currently installed' optical layouts for each of the 192 NIF beamlines. LPOM deploys a fully integrated laser physics model, the Virtual Beamline (VBL), in its predictive calculations in order to meet the accuracy requirements of NIF experiments, and to provide the ability to determine the damage risk to optical elements throughout the laser chain. LPOM determines the settings of the injection laser system required to achieve the desired laser output, provides equipment protection, and determines the diagnostic setup. Additionally, LPOM provides real-time post shot data analysis and reporting for each NIF shot. The LPOM computation system is designed as a multi-host computational cluster (with 200 compute nodes, providing the capability to run full NIF simulations fully parallel) to meet the demands of both the controls systems within a shot cycle, and the NIF user community outside of a shot cycle.