This past August, a record-breaking shot with 1.3 megajoules of fusion yield was achieved on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This experimental result, decades in the making, is a significant breakthrough for laser-driven inertial fusion. This talk will review the experimental results, the photonics advancements and many more technologies that made this breakthrough possible, and the implications for future research. Furthermore, these recent game-changing results on the NIF now lay the groundwork to explore laser inertial fusion as a path for clean energy and energy security.

Laser cutting process is a very broad application requesting a high beam quality. Optimizing the beam shape is a promising solution to the challenge of cutting thicker parts while maintaining a sufficient cutting speed. We describe here a beam shaper compatible with industry standard equipment handling up to 16kW average power delivering an optimized non-symmetric shape. The different shapes are examined by means of online high-speed X-ray images, enabling to reconstruct the cutting front and to calculate the absorbed irradiance on the processed sample. This allows to compare the results with conventionally processed samples.

The development of LBW processes is driven by more complex laser-based welding processes made possible with the development of lasers of higher available power. Nevertheless, most laser-heads are based on refractive optics, limiting the capability to fully use this power. Multi-Plane Light Conversion (MPLC) is a fully reflective technology enabling complex beam shaping through a succession of phase plates. A MPLC-based laser head has been developed providing an annular shape. It presents a less than a 1mm focus shift. LBW as well as HLAW of steal up to 16kW is demonstrated with improved butt-joint configuration gap welds.