https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20135901006
HiPER: The European path to laser energy
1 Central Laser Facility, S.T.F.C. Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot OX11 0QX, UK
2 LULI, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, CEA, UPMC, 91128 Palaiseau, France
Published online: 15 November 2013
While for decades, energy production relying on laser inertial fusion has been a strong motivation for the development in Europe of a few high-energy laser facilities and dedicated scientific programs, the HiPER initiative launched in 2004 fostered an ambitious large-scale coordinated European program toward inertial fusion energy. Anticipating the successful demonstration of fusion ignition and gain at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the USA, scientists and engineers from across Europe are developing the case for a next generation laser fusion facility, HiPER, to be constructed in Europe. The single-facility build strategy of HiPER (High Power Laser Energy Research Facility) aims at first demonstrating some key elements of a fusion reactor in a high rep-rate few-second cycle mode, before addressing energy production on a high rep-rate continuous mode in a second area.
© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2013
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