fusion energy foundation

though the LLE conversion system wasbased on the same fundamental principlesas previous, less efficient systems,the configuration of angles usedin the optics was far more complex.Optical parametric mixing, used bythe LLE researchers, is a process inwhich the coherent electromagneticwaves of laser light nonlinearly interactwithin an appropriate crystal suchthat the waves are added together togenerate new electromagnetic wavesof doubled frequency. A threefoldincrease in frequency is accomplishedby mixing already doubled frequencylight with the primary 1.06-micronbeam.Future PlansLLE scientists believe that 9-millimeterKDP crystals will achieve evenbetter results. LLE plans to incorporatethis conversion system for frequencytripling on six beams of the mainlineOmega system to carry out full-scalepellet experiments with the shorterwavelengthlaser light. If this LLE conversionsystem proves to be capableof scaling to higher power levels whilemaintaining the optical quality of thelaser beams generated, it could markone of the major technological advancesin laser fusion research of thedecade.Impending Change inClassification Policy?The U.S. Department of Energy isabout to implement a major relaxationin the top secret classification ofresearch in inertial confinement fusion,according to informed Washingtonsources. This action will resultfrom the fact that major portions ofscientific work at the U.S. nationalweapons laboratories at LawrenceLivermore and Los Alamos have beendeclassified "de facto" through thelitigation and publication of the famousProgressive magazine article onthe H-bomb.A relaxation in the stringent guidelinesthat currently suffocate U.S. laserfusion research will be greatly welcomedby most leading scientists inthe field.CDCThis comparison of the large-scale integrated (LSI) circuitry (left) used in theCDC Cyber 205 and the equivalent logic of the CDC's first supercomputermodel, the STAR-TOO shows the advances in computer logic technology.CDC AnnouncesPowerful SupercomputerControl Data Corporation announcedthe world's most powerfulsupercomputer system, the CYBER205, in early June.In its maximum configuration, thenew system is capable of performingup to 800 million operations in a singlesecond. This is up to eight timesfaster than any of the company's previousmodels and more than threetimes faster than any other computercurrently available.CDC has billed the computer asespecially designed to solve the criticalproblems of the 1980s, in terms ofmatching the need for three-dimensionalprocessing of huge volumes ofdata such as those associated withfusion research, nuclear plant safety,petroleum exploration, and structuralanalysis, as well as the billions of calculationsrequired for more accurate24-hour weather forecasts.The predecessor of CYBER 205, theCYBER 203, is now being used in avariety of nuclear power plant applicationsand in laser fusion research.The new system offers a number ofperformance improvements over theearlier system, including: centralmemory capacity up to 4 millionwords; virtual memory capacity rangingto 2 trillion words, utilization ofcombined vector/scalar processing;utilization of both 64-bit and 32-bitarithmetic operations; and up to 16input-output ports, each capable ofhandling 200 million bits per second,resulting in an expanded I/O bandwidthof 3.2 billion bits per send,highest in the industry.In addition, the CYBER 205 is theonly supercomputer in the industryusing large-scale integrated (LSI) circuitry,which increases reliability andsimplifies maintenance. The systemuses only 29 different types of plug-inLSI circuit chips.September 1980FUSION67