Spherical Rayleigh-Taylor Growth of Three-Dimensional Broadband Perturbations on OMEGA

Journal Article · Tue Nov 10 04:00:00 EST 2009 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3253321· OSTI ID:967146

Smalyuk, V A ^[1]; Hu, S X; Hager, J D; Delettrez, J A; Meyerhofer, D D; Sangster, T C; Shvarts, D

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

Spherical Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) growth experiments of three-dimensional (3D) broadband nonuniformities were conducted in the acceleration phase of spherical implosions on OMEGA [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)]. The targets consisted of 20- and 24-um-thick plastic spherical shells having diagnostic openings for backlighter x rays to image shell modulations. Experiments were conducted with square laser pulses at a low drive intensity of ~2 x 10^14 W/cm^2, high drive intensity of ~1 x 10^15 W/cm^2, and a shaped pulse consisting of a low-intensity foot and high-intensity drive part (peak intensity of ~1 x 10^15 W/cm^2). In low-intensity experiments, large RT growth was measured, resulting in shells being broken up by 3D modulations at the end of the drive. In the high-intensity experiments, no RT growth of the 3D modulations was detected. In the shaped-pulse experiments, perturbations grew during the low-intensity part of the drive and were stabilized later during the high-intensity part of the drive. The measured RT growth stabilization with the high-intensity drive was similar to previous observations in planar geometry [V. A. Smalyuk et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 025002 (2008)].

• Research Organization: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: FC52-08NA28302
• OSTI ID: 967146
• Report Number(s): DOE/NA/28302-911; 2009-126; 1894
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 16
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English