LLNL, Livermore, California, USA
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a stadium-sized facility that contains a 192-beam, 1.8-Megajoule, 500-Terawatt, ultraviolet laser system together with a 10-meter diameter target chamber. We describe techniques used to synchronize data acquired by gated x-ray imagers with laser beams at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Synchronization is achieved by collecting data from multiple beam groups with spatial and temporal separation in a single NIF shot. By optimizing the experimental setup and data analysis, repeatable measurements of 15ps or better have been achieved. This demonstrates that the facility timing system, laser, and target diagnostics, are highly stable over year-long time scales.
