Multiple spherically converging shock waves in liquid deuterium
- Laboratory for Laser Energetics, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14423-1299 (United States)
- Laboratory for Laser Energetics and Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Physics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627 (United States)
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)
To achieve ignition, inertial confinement fusion target designs use a sequence of shocks to compress the target before it implodes. To minimize the entropy acquired by the fuel, the strength and timing of these shocks will be precisely set during a series of tuning experiments that adjust the laser pulse to achieve optimal conditions. We report measurements of the velocity and timing of multiple, converging shock waves inside spherical targets filled with liquid (cryogenic) deuterium. These experiments produced the highest reported shock velocity observed in liquid deuterium (U{sub s} = 135 km/s at {approx}25 Mb) and observed an increase in shock velocity due to spherical convergence. These direct-drive experiments are best simulated when hydrodynamic codes use a nonlocal model for the transport of absorbed laser energy from the coronal plasma to the ablation surface.
- OSTI ID:
- 22043508
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 18, Issue 9; Other Information: (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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