Multi-stage FEL amplifier with diaphragm focusing line as direct energy driver for inertial confinement fusion

It is proposed to use multi-stage FEL amplifier with a diaphragm focusing line as direct energy driver for inertial confinement fusion. The driving beam for the FEL amplifier is generated by the linear induction accelerator. The laser system operates at a radiation wavelength of 0.5 μm with the total energy of laser flash of 1.5 MJ, pulse duration of 4 ns and repetition rate of 40 pulses per second. Total efficiency (i.e. conversion efficiency of net electrical power to the radiation power) of the proposed system is equal to 12%. The brightness of the output radiation is 1022 W/cm2 sr. The scale and the cost of the FEL based energy driver are close to those of the heavy ion fusion driver.