Range shortening, radiation transport, and Rayleigh-Taylor instability phenomena in ion-beam-driven inertial-fusion-reactor-size targets: Implosion, ignition, and burn phases

Journal Article · Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 EST 1987 · Phys. Rev. A; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.35.2631· OSTI ID:6627074

Long, K A; Tahir, N A

In this paper we present an analysis of the theory of the energy deposition of ions in cold materials and hot dense plasmas together with numerical calculations for heavy and light ions of interest to ion-beam fusion. We have used the g-smcapso-smcapsr-smcapsg-smcapso-smcapsn-smcaps computer code of Long, Moritz, and Tahir (which is an extension of the code originally written for protons by Nardi, Peleg, and Zinamon) to carry out these calculations. The energy-deposition data calculated in this manner has been used in the design of heavy-ion-beam-driven fusion targets suitable for a reactor, by its inclusion in the m-smcapse-smcapsd-smcapsu-smcapss-smcapsa-smcaps code of Christiansen, Ashby, and Roberts as extended by Tahir and Long. A number of other improvements have been made in this code and these are also discussed. Various aspects of the theoretical analysis of such targets are discussed including the calculation of the hydrodynamic stability, the hydrodynamic efficiency, and the gain. Various different target designs have been used, some of them new. In general these targets are driven by Bi/sup +/ ions of energy 8--12 GeV, with an input energy of 4--6.5 MJ, with output energies in the range 600--900 MJ, and with gains in the range 120--180. The peak powers are in the range of 500--750 TW. We present detailed calculations of the ablation, compression, ignition, and burn phases. By the application of a new stability analysis which includes ablation and density-gradient effects we show that these targets appear to implode in a stable manner. Thus the targets designed offer working examples suited for use in a future inertial-confinement fusion reactor.

• Research Organization: Institute de Genie Atomique, Departement de Physique, E-acute-accentcole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, PHB-Ecublens, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
• OSTI ID: 6627074
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. A; (United States), Vol. 35:6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ION BEAM TARGETS
DESIGN
ENERGY ABSORPTION
G CODES
HOT PLASMA
IMPLOSIONS
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
ION BEAM INJECTION
PELLETS
PLASMA INSTABILITY
STOPPING POWER
ABSORPTION
BEAM INJECTION
COMPUTER CODES
CONFINEMENT
INSTABILITY
PLASMA
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
TARGETS
700208* - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Inertial Confinement Technology