Parameters of the focusing optics in a laser thermonuclear reactor

The energy balance of a laser thermonuclear reactor is considered and it is shown that the energy of the reaction products absorbed by the focusing optics of the reactor considerably exceeds the energy absorbed from the laser pulse. The x-ray spectrum of the target emission is calculated and used to find the minimum distances from the center of the chamber to the optical system. Variants of the gas shield are analyzed. The laser radiation brightness required to ignite the reaction is used to obtain a relationship between the minimum focal length and the optical strength of the material employed for the optics. It is shown that thermonuclear neutrons incident on the focusing system generate considerable thermal stresses and deformations.