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First Demonstration of Improved Fusion Yield with Increased Compression through Reduced Adiabat in Inertial Confinement Fusion Experiments at the National Ignition Facility

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/h2ss-6zpf· OSTI ID:2589558
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  1. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  2. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  3. General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)
  4. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  5. Diamond Materials GmbH, Freiburg (Germany)
  6. Diamond Materials GmbH, Freiberg (Germany)
  7. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Pacific Fusion, Palo Alto, CA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Recent advancements in indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) have achieved a significant milestone by demonstrating target gains greater than one, yet future applications necessitate much higher target gains. One approach to achieving improved implosion performance is to pursue increased fuel compression via a lowered implosion adiabat. Experiments have been performed testing a reduced adiabat by introducing small changes to the drive laser pulse shape and the resulting shock timing for an existing implosion design at 1.9 MJ laser drive with near-ignition performance (experiment N210808). Experiments using the updated design demonstrate, for the very first time, increased compression and fusion yield in ICF implosions on the NIF by using a lower fuel adiabat, and increased compression with a reduced adiabat in high-density carbon ablators. Compared to the previously best-performing experiment with a laser energy of 1.9 MJ, these experiments exhibit increases of up to 80% and 14% in nuclear fusion yield and fuel compression, respectively, and with repeatable performance. Further, it is the only implosion design to have achieved a target gain exceeding one with a laser energy of less than 2 MJ. These findings highlight the efficacy of reduced adiabat designs in achieving higher compression and fusion yields, offering a promising pathway for future ICF applications. In conclusion, this Letter not only addresses a long-standing question in ICF but also paves the way for achieving higher target gains with optimized implosion strategies.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
2589558
Report Number(s):
LLNL--JRNL-872400
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 135; ISSN 1079-7114; ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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