Possibility of controlling the coherence properties of high-power laser beams with a plasma filter

An investigation was made of the energy, angular, spectral, and coherence characteristics of highpower radiation from a neodymium laser, scattered by a plasma corona on the surface of an irradiated solid target. The high homogeneity of the beam formed from the scattered radiation was due to the loss of coherence on a reflecting surface which acquired a rippled structure. An analysis was made of the possibility of using plasma filters in laser fusion experiments to provide the required homogeneity of irradiation of spherical targets.