Shock-tuned cryogenic-deuterium-tritium implosion performance on Omega

Journal Article · Sat May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3360928· OSTI ID:21371298

Sangster, T C; Goncharov, V N; Betti, R; Boehly, T R; Collins, T J. B.; Craxton, R S; Delettrez, J A; Edgell, D H; Epstein, R; Glebov, Y Yu; Harding, D R; Hu, S X; Igumenschev, I V; Knauer, J P; Loucks, S J; Marozas, J A; Marshall, F J; McCrory, R L; McKenty, P W; Meyerhofer, D D ^[1]

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1. Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States)

Cryogenic-deuterium-tritium (DT) target compression experiments with low-adiabat (alpha), multiple-shock drive pulses have been performed on the Omega Laser Facility [T. R. Boehly, D. L. Brown, R. S. Craxton et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] to demonstrate hydrodynamic-equivalent ignition performance. The multiple-shock drive pulse facilitates experimental shock tuning using an established cone-in-shell target platform [T. R. Boehly, R. Betti, T. R. Boehly et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 056301 (2009)]. These shock-tuned drive pulses have been used to implode cryogenic-DT targets with peak implosion velocities of 3x10{sup 7} cm/s at peak drive intensities of 8x10{sup 14} W/cm{sup 2}. During a recent series of alphaapprox2 implosions, one of the two necessary conditions for initiating a thermonuclear burn wave in a DT plasma was achieved: an areal density of approximately 300 mg/cm{sup 2} was inferred using the magnetic recoil spectrometer [J. A. Frenje, C. K. Li, F. H. Seguin et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 042704 (2009)]. The other condition--a burn-averaged ion temperature <T{sub i}>{sub n} of 8-10 keV--cannot be achieved on Omega because of the limited laser energy; the kinetic energy of the imploding shell is insufficient to heat the plasma to these temperatures. A <T{sub i}>{sub n} of approximately 3.4 keV would be required to demonstrate ignition hydrodynamic equivalence [Betti et al., Phys. Plasmas17, 058102 (2010)]. The <T{sub i}>{sub n} reached during the recent series of alphaapprox2 implosions was approximately 2 keV, limited primarily by laser-drive and target nonuniformities. Work is underway to improve drive and target symmetry for future experiments.

• OSTI ID: 21371298
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 17, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3360928; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
DEUTERIUM
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
ION TEMPERATURE
LASER IMPLOSIONS
LASERS
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
SHOCK WAVES
TRITIUM
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CONFINEMENT
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
IMPLOSIONS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
RADIOISOTOPES
STABLE ISOTOPES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES