Case Study: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory uses COMSOL to simulate laser repair techniques

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory simulates 3 laser repair techniques with Comsol

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) faced a challenge maintaining the world's largest laser at its National Ignition Facility, as repeated use damaged the system's critical fused silica optics. To investigate repair techniques, LLNL utilized simulation software from vendor Comsol, specifically COMSOL Multiphysics®.

Using Comsol's software, the team simulated various laser-material interactions to explore and optimize several repair processes. These included infrared pulsed laser microshaping, slow annealing, laser chemical vapor deposition, and an additive 3D printing technique called selective laser melting. This application of Comsol's multiphysics simulation capabilities enabled LLNL to effectively research methods for maintaining and repairing the laser's damaged optics.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory