Role of Hot-Electron Preheating in the Compression of Direct-Drive Imploding Targets with Cryogenic D2 Ablators

Journal Article · Fri May 09 04:00:00 EDT 2008 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.185005· OSTI ID:928742

Smalyuk, V A ^[1]; Shvarts, D; Betti, R; Delettrez, J A; Edgell, D H; Glebov, V Yu; Goncharov, V N; McCrory, R L; Meyerhofer, D D; Radha, P B; Regan, S P; Sangster, T C; Seka, W; Skupsky, S; Stoeckl, C; Yaakobi, B; Frenje, J A; Li, C K; Petrasso, R D; Seguin, F H

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1. Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

The compression of direct-drive, spherical implosions is studied using cryogenic D2 targets on the 60-beam, 351-nm OMEGA laser with intensities ranging from ~3 x 10^14 to ~1 x 10^15 W/cm^2. The hard-x-ray signal from hot electrons generated by laser-plasma instabilities increases with laser intensity, while the areal density decreases. Mitigating hot-electron production, by reducing the laser intensity to ~3 x 10^14 W/cm^2, results in areal density of the order of ~140 mg/cm^2, in good agreement with 1D simulations. These results will be considered in future direct-drive-ignition designs.

• Research Organization: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: FC52-08NA28302
• OSTI ID: 928742
• Report Number(s): DOE/NA-28302-828; 2007-63; 1800
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 18 Vol. 100
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English