Hohlraum used as a single turn solenoid to generate seed magnetic field for inertial confinement fusion

Patent · Tue Jan 18 00:00:00 EST 2022

OSTI ID:1892543

Perkins, Lindsay John; Hammer, Jim H.; Moody, John H.; Tabak, Max; Logan, Burl Grant

Application of axial seed magnetic fields in the range 20-100 T that compress to greater than 10,000 T (100 MG) under typical NIF implosion conditions may significantly relax the conditions required for ignition and propagating burn in NIF ignition targets that are degraded by hydrodynamic instabilities. Such magnetic fields can: (a) permit the recovery of ignition, or at least significant alpha particle heating, in submarginal NIF targets that would otherwise fail because of adverse hydrodynamic instability growth, (b) permit the attainment of ignition in conventional cryogenic layered solid-DT targets redesigned to operate under reduced drive conditions, (c) permit the attainment of volumetric ignition in simpler, room-temperature single-shell DT gas capsules, and (d) ameliorate adverse hohlraum plasma conditions during laser drive and capsule compression. In general, an applied magnetic field should always improve the ignition condition for any NIF ignition target design.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-07NA27344
• Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (Livermore, CA)
• Patent Number(s): 11,227,693
• Application Number: 16/152,716
• OSTI ID: 1892543
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: 10/05/2018
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English