Time evolution of filamentation and self-generated fields in the coronae of directly driven inertial-confinement fusion capsules

Journal Article · Sun Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2012 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3671908· OSTI ID:22043586

Seguin, F H; Li, C K; Manuel, M J -E; Rinderknecht, H G; Sinenian, N; Frenje, J A; Rygg, J R; Hicks, D G; Petrasso, R D ^[1]; Delettrez, J; Betti, R; Marshall, F J; Smalyuk, V A ^[2]

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1. Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)
2. Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States)

Time-gated radiography with monoenergetic 15-MeV protons, 3-MeV protons, and 4-MeV alpha particles has revealed a rich and complex evolution of electromagnetic field structures in and around imploding, directly driven inertial-confinement fusion (ICF) targets at the OMEGA laser facility. Plastic-shell capsules and solid plastic spheres were imaged during and after irradiation with ICF-relevant laser drive (up to 6 x 10{sup 14} W/cm{sup 2}). Radial filaments appeared while the laser was on; they filled, and were frozen into, the out-flowing corona, persisting until well after the end of the laser drive. Data from specially designed experiments indicate that the filaments were not generated by two-plasmon-decay instabilities or by Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities associated with shell acceleration. Before the onset of visible filamentation, quasi-spherical field structures appeared outside the capsule in the images in a form that suggests outgoing shells of net positive charge. We conjecture that these discrete shells are related to multiple peaks seen previously in the spectra of protons ablated from the targets.

• OSTI ID: 22043586
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 19, Issue 1; Other Information: (c) 2012 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ACCELERATION
ALPHA PARTICLES
CAPSULES
DECAY INSTABILITY
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
EVOLUTION
FILAMENTS
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
IRRADIATION
LASER RADIATION
LIGHT TRANSMISSION
MEV RANGE 01-10
PEAKS
PLASMA
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
PROTONS
RAYLEIGH-TAYLOR INSTABILITY
SOLIDS
SPECTRA
SPHERICAL CONFIGURATION