LMJ: the most powerful laser in the world

In 2009 the Megajoule laser will be ready to operate, at that time 30 laser lines producing 240 laser beams will deliver an energy of 1,8 MJ in a few thousand millionth of a second (what matters is not the amount of 1,8 MJ which quite low but the ability to deliver it in a very very short time on a very accurately located spot). The laser beams will irradiate the inside wall of a gold-coated cylinder, gold atoms will then emit X-radiation that will irradiate in a very homogenous way a tiny spherical deuterium-tritium target located in the center of the cylinder. The target will collapse, compressing itself which will trigger thermonuclear reactions. LIL (laser integration line) the prototype of a laser line is near completion, it will allow the testing and the final adjustments of the Megajoule laser components. This series of 3 short articles describes the Megajoule laser (design, performance, building), the thermonuclear target, and the other potential uses of this laser. (A.C.)