Numerical simulation of thin-shell direct drive DHe3-filled capsules fielded at OMEGA

Journal Article · Sun Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2012 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4737052· OSTI ID:22072585

Miles, A R; Chung, H -K; Heeter, R; Hsing, W; Koch, J A; Park, H -S; Robey, H F; Scott, H A; Tommasini, R ^[1]; Frenje, J; Li, C K; Petrasso, R ^[2]; Glebov, V ^[3]; Lee, R W ^[4]

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1. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)
2. Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)
3. Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States)
4. SLAC Linear Coherent Light Source, Menlo Park, California 94025 (United States)

Thin-shell deuterium-helium-3 (DHe{sup 3}) filled glass capsules on the Omega laser provide a fast-implosion experimental platform for developing separate time-resolved measurements of ion, electron, and radiation temperatures in nonequilibrium plasmas. Dynamically significant non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) conditions are created by the addition of xenon dopant to the DHe{sup 3} gas fill, in quantities sufficient to have an impact on yields, compression, and cooling rates. The high-Z dopant dramatically increases the radiative cooling rate in the plasma, allowing it to collapse in compressions that can be an order of magnitude higher than in undoped capsules. A baseline LASNEX simulation model using detailed configuration accounting NLTE atomic physics shows very good agreement with the data for doped as well as undoped capsules, while other models either underpredict or overpredict the radiative cooling enhancement. The baseline model captures the behavior of the capsule when the D:He{sup 3} ratio is varied well away from equimolar, suggesting no yield anomaly with either nearly pure deuterium or He{sup 3} fills. Variation of the electron-ion coupling in the baseline simulation model shows agreement with the data for a coupling multiplier that is within 20% of unity. Reliably inferring electron-ion coupling strength from the data is complicated by uncertainties in the hydrodynamic mix and other parameters, but many of these can be mitigated in follow-on experiments at the National Ignition Facility.

• OSTI ID: 22072585
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 19, Issue 7; Other Information: (c) 2012 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CAPSULES
COMPRESSION
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DEUTERIUM
DOPED MATERIALS
ELECTRON-ION COUPLING
ELECTRONS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GLASS
HELIUM 3
IMPLOSIONS
IONS
LTE
NON-EQUILIBRIUM PLASMA
OMEGA FACILITY
PLASMA SIMULATION
RADIATIVE COOLING
TIME RESOLUTION
XENON