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Proof-of-Principle Experiment on the Dynamic Shell Formation for Inertial Confinement Fusion

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
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  1. University of Rochester, NY (United States). Laboratory for Laser Energetics; Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester
  2. University of Rochester, NY (United States). Laboratory for Laser Energetics
  3. Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications, Talence (France)
  4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
  5. Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza,”, Roma (Italy)
  6. General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
In the dynamic-shell (DS) concept [Goncharov et al., Phys Rev. Lett. 125, 065001 (2020)] for laser-driven inertial confinement fusion the deuterium-tritium fuel is initially in the form of a homogeneous liquid inside a wetted-foam spherical shell. This fuel is ignited using a conventional implosion, which is preceded by a initial compression of the fuel followed by its expansion and dynamic formation of a high-density fuel shell with a low-density interior. This letter reports on a scaled-down, proof-of-principle experiment on the OMEGA laser demonstrating, for the first time, the feasibility of DS formation. A shell is formed by convergent shocks launched by laser pulses at the edge of a plasma sphere, with the plasma itself formed as a result of laser-driven compression and relaxation of a surrogate plastic-foam ball target. Three x-ray diagnostics, namely, 1-D spatially resolved self-emission streaked imaging, 2-D self-emission framed imaging, and backlighting radiography, have shown good agreement with the predicted evolution of the DS and its stability to low Legendre mode perturbations introduced by laser irradiation and target asymmetries.
Research Organization:
University of Rochester, NY (United States). Laboratory for Laser Energetics
Sponsoring Organization:
European Union; USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
NA0003856; NA0003960
OSTI ID:
1988780
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 131; ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Figures / Tables (4)

FIG. 1(p. 2)figure FIG. 1
FIG. 2(p. 2)figure FIG. 2
FIG. 3(p. 3)figure FIG. 3
FIG. 4(p. 4)figure FIG. 4

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Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
Direct drive
Hydrodynamics
Implosion symmetry
Inertial confinement fusion
Inertially confined plasmas
Target design & fabrication
X-ray imaging