Multistep redirection by cross-beam power transfer of ultrahigh-power lasers in a plasma

Laser redirection by cross-beam power transfer in a plasma is an important example of a nonlinear optics process which uses laser-plasma instabilities to one's advantage. We have demonstrated this in a hohlraum plasma at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. A four-wave mixing process causes laser power in multiple beams to change direction and add to the laser power of a selected beam. The process is controlled by setting the wavelength separation of the interacting laser beams. This technique provides a method to remotely re-point or combine high-powered laser beams without the need of local optical apparatus.