Absolute instability thresholds for stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and two-plasmon decay (TPD) driven by a broadband laser pulse are evaluated numerically. The scalings of the calculated thresholds with the density scale length, temperature, and central wavelength are qualitatively similar to the existing analytical results. The threshold values, however, exhibit significant quantitative differences. Comparisons between the thresholds calculated for various broadband power spectra indicate a universal scaling of the threshold intensity with laser coherence time (τ_c). For SRS, $I_{\text{thr}}\propto {\tau }_c^{-1/3}$ , and for TPD, $I_{\text{thr}}\propto {\tau }_c^{-1/2}$ .

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) has been explored comprehensively in planar-geometry experiments at the National Ignition Facility in conditions relevant to the corona of inertial confinement fusion ignition-scale direct-drive targets. These experiments at measured electron temperatures of 4 to 5 keV simulated density scale lengths $L_{\mathrm{n}}$ of 400 to 700 μm, and laser intensities at the quarter-critical density of up to 1.5 × 10¹⁵ W/cm² have determined SRS thresholds and the scaling behavior of SRS for various beam geometries. Several SRS mechanisms, including saturated absolute SRS near the quarter-critical density and additional SRS, including near-backscatter or sidescatter at lower densities, have been identified. Correlation of time-dependent SRS at densities ∼0.15 to 0.21 of the critical density with hot-electron signatures as well as the magnitudes of these signatures across different experiments, is observed. Further modeling work is needed to definitively identify the density region in which hot electrons are generated and will guide SRS and hot-electron preheat mitigation strategies for direct-drive-ignition designs.

Flying-focus pulses promise to revolutionize laser-driven secondary sources by decoupling the trajectory of the peak intensity from the native group velocity of the medium over distances much longer than a Rayleigh range. Previous demonstrations of the flying focus have either produced an uncontrolled trajectory or a trajectory that is engineered using chromatic methods that limit the duration of the peak intensity to picosecond scales. Here we demonstrate a controllable ultrabroadband flying focus using a nearly achromatic axiparabola-echelon pair. Spectral interferometry using an ultrabroadband superluminescent diode was used to measure designed super- and subluminal flying-focus trajectories and the effective temporal pulse duration as inferred from the measured spectral phase. The measurements demonstrate that a nearly transform- and diffraction-limited moving focus can be created over a centimeter-scale—an extended focal region more than 50 Rayleigh ranges in length. This ultrabroadband flying-focus and the novel axiparabola-echelon configuration used to produce it are ideally suited for applications and scalable to >100 TW peak powers.

Thresholds for the absolute stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and two-plasma decay (TPD) instabilities driven by multiple broadband laser beams are evaluated using 3D simulations at conditions relevant to inertial confinement fusion experiments. Multibeam TPD and SRS backscatter are found to be easier to mitigate with bandwidth than the corresponding single-beam instabilities. A relative bandwidth of 1% increases the threshold for absolute SRS backscatter by a factor of 4 at conditions relevant to ongoing National Ignition Facility experiments and should be sufficient to keep all of the absolute instabilities below threshold in experiments with similar conditions.

Spatiotemporal pulse shaping provides control over the trajectory and range of an intensity peak. While this control can enhance laser-based applications, the optical configurations required for shaping the pulse can constrain the transverse or temporal profile, duration, or orbital angular momentum (OAM). Here we present a novel technique for spatiotemporal control that mitigates these constraints by using a "stencil" pulse to spatiotemporally structure a second, primary pulse through cross-phase modulation (XPM) in a Kerr lens. The temporally shaped stencil pulse induces a time-dependent focusing phase within the primary pulse. This technique, the "flying focus X," allows the primary pulse to have any profile or OAM, expanding the flexibility of spatiotemporal pulse shaping for laser-based applications. As an example, simulations show that the flying focus X can deliver an arbitrary-velocity, variable-duration intensity peak with OAM over distances much longer than a Rayleigh range.

In nonlinear Thomson scattering, a relativistic electron reradiates the photons of a laser pulse, converting optical light to x rays or beyond. While this extreme frequency conversion offers a promising source for probing high-energy-density materials and driving uncharted regimes of nonlinear quantum electrodynamics, conventional nonlinear Thomson scattering has inherent trade-offs in its scaling with laser intensity. Here we discover that the ponderomotive control afforded by spatiotemporal pulse shaping enables regimes of nonlinear Thomson scattering that substantially enhance the scaling of the radiated power, emission angle, and frequency with laser intensity. By appropriately setting the velocity of the intensity peak, a spatiotemporally shaped pulse can increase the power radiated by orders of magnitude. The enhanced scaling with laser intensity allows for operation at significantly lower electron energies or intensities.