The T-STAR Experimental Facility for IFE and HED Science at the University of Texas

With the recent demonstration of 1.3 MJ yield at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the promise of near-term commercialized Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) has sparked increased interest in new, moderate rep-rate, kJ-class laser facilities for high energy density and plasma physics studies. This enthusiasm has emphasized a gap in the present capabilities of IFE-focused laser facilities. Currently no user facilities deliver multiple kJ beams at repetition rates exceeding a shot per hour, limiting the possible avenues of experimental exploration as well as the level of statistical certainty that these experiments can generate.

The University of Texas has been a reliable hub for IFE experimental research teams for over a decade but does not currently fill this identified technological gap. The proposed Texas Science and Technology Advanced Research (T‑STAR) Facility will be an essential first step toward meeting these new scientific demands. This facility would implement four kJ-class beamlines, capable of operation at one shot per three minutes. Designed with emphasis on flexibility, each beamline would support both long pulse (ns) kJ operation and short pulse (<500 fs) operation, each with user-tunable pulse durations. The experimental platform will be supported by several standard configurations of focus geometries capable of tuning the short pulse intensity on target up to 10²² W/cm³, with the flexibility to have both long and short pulse beams in the target chamber simultaneously.  

The design of T-STAR is driven by priority research opportunities that include the examination of key scientific issues related to IFE and high energy density laboratory plasmas (HEDLP) such as laser plasma instabilities, acceleration of ion beams for heating, radiation hydrodynamics, x-ray source generation, and more. In this talk, we present the proposed experimental platform, standard configurations and key supporting diagnostics for long and short pulse operation.