Status report of the Asterix IV high-power iodine laser

The Asterix IV high power iodine laser was projected to deliver output pulse energies of up to 2 kJ at pulse lengths tp >= 1 ns in one beam. Using a mode-locked or a long-pulse oscillator the pulse duration can be adjusted in the range between 0.1 and 3 ns. In addition, in the fundamental wavelength at 1315 nm the laser can be operated at either the second or third harmonic at (lambda) equals 658 nm and (lambda) equals 438 nm, respectively. Up to now a maximum output energy of 1.3 kJ could be extracted which was -- at tp equals 0.4 ns -- limited only by the damage threshold of optical components. Emphasis has been put on improving the laser performance; e.g., the energy density of the top hat beam profile shows a modulation as small as +/- 6% and the output pulse energy can be kept stable within +/- 4% during a period of several months. Since 1988 the laser has been used for 3000 target shots and it has proved a reliable tool.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.