Studies of Plastic-Ablator Compresibility for Direct-Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion on OMEGA

Journal Article · Wed May 07 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.185003· OSTI ID:927896

The compression of planar plastic targets was studied with x-ray radiography in the range of laser intensities of I ~ 0.5 to 1.5 x 10^15 W/cm^2 using square (low-compression) and shaped (high-compression) pulses. Two-dimensional simulations with the radiative hydrocode DRACO show good agreement with measurements at laser intensities up to I ~ 10^15 W/cm^2. These resulsts provide the first experimental evidence for low-entropy, adiabatic compression of plastic shells in the laser intensity regime relevant to direct-drive inertial confinement fusion. A density reduction near the end of the drive at a high intensity of I ~ 1.5 x 10^15 W/cm^2 has been correlated with the hard x-ray signal caused by hot electrons from two-plasmon-decay instability.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: FC52-08NA28302
• OSTI ID: 927896
• Report Number(s): DOE/NA/28302-824; 2007-177; 1797
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 100, Issue 18
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English