Effect of cross-beam energy transfer on target-offset asymmetry in direct-drive inertial confinement fusion implosions

Dataset · Fri Jun 25 00:00:00 EDT 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/FQQP9I· OSTI ID:1887424

Anderson, K. S.; Forrest, C. J.; Mannion, O. M.; Marshall, F. J.; Shah, R. C.; Michel, D. T.; Marozas, J. A.; Radha, P. B.; Edgell, D. H.; Epstein, R.; Goncharov, V. N.; Knauer, J. P.; Johnson, M. Gatu; Laffite, S.

The unintentional mispositioning of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsules from the center of laser beam convergence has long been shown in simulations to generate large ℓ = 1 asymmetry and significantly degrade implosion symmetry and fusion yields. Experimental yields on the OMEGA Laser System, however, have shown much less sensitivity to this initial target offset. This paper presents simulations of offset ICF implosions improved by including a physics model of cross-beam energy transfer (CBET), a mechanism of laser energy scattering from one beam to another. Room-temperature OMEGA implosion experiments with prescribed target offsets are simulated with and without CBET, illustrating that CBET mitigates the ℓ = 1 implosion asymmetry from target offset. Comparison of simulations to multiple complementary experimental observables indicates the addition of CBET physics in offset simulations is necessary to match experimental results.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• DOE Contract Number: NA0003856
• OSTI ID: 1887424
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY