An exploration of Lasnex designs to support the MShock campaign at NIF
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
In support of planned MShock experiments at NIF, Lasnex is being used to explore possible laser sources and halfraum designs that launch two shocks into an ablator - shock tube configuration. Two design features were investigated: (1) launching a two-component laser source consisting of an early pre-pulse separated in time from a later main pulse, to create two shocks, and (2) adding a liner on the inner surface of the gold wall of the halfraum, to delay or prevent gold stagnation on-axis and to preserve the effectiveness of the second laser pulse. The clearest indication of two shocks propagating in the shock tube occurred when the pre-pulse mimicked a direct drive, achieved by re-pointing the inner beam cones, and when a liner was used to ensure that the free-electron number density was below the critical density for NIF. Additional simulations (presented in the Appendix) that used the two-component laser source but focused on specific choices in laser-pulse design space, as proposed by Kirk Flippo for use in the first MShock experiments at NIF, also demonstrated the presence of two shocks.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396
- OSTI ID:
- 1400111
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-17-29269
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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