<title>Antares Reference Telescopes System</title>

Abstract

Antares is a 24-beam, 40-TW carbon-dioxide laser fusion system currently nearing completion at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The 24 beams will be focused onto a tiny target (typically 300-1000 pm in diameter) located approximately at the center of a 7.3-m diameter by 9.3-m long vacuum (10^-6 torr) chamber. The design goal is to position the targets to within 10 μm of a selected nominal position, which may be anywhere within a fixed spherical region 1 cm in diameter. The Antares Reference Telescope System is intended to help achieve this goal for alignment and viewing of the various targets used in the laser system. The Antares Reference Telescope System consists of two similar electro-optical systems positioned in a near orthogonal manner in the target chamber area of the laser. Each of these consists of four subsystems: 1) a fixed 9X optical imaging subsystem which produces an image of the target at the vidicon; 2) a reticle projection subsystem which superimposes an image of the reticle pattern at the vidicon; 3) an adjustable front-lighting subsystem which illuminates tne target; and 4) an adjustable back-lighting subsystem which also can be used to illuminate the target. The various optical, mechanical, and vidicon design considerations and trade-offs are discussed. The final system chosen (which is being built) and its current status are described in detail.