Shock-Tuned Cryogenic-Deuterium-Tritium Implosion Performance on Omega

Journal Article · Tue May 04 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3360928· OSTI ID:978324

Cryogenic-deuterium-tritium (DT) target compression experiments with low-adiabat (alpha), multiple-shock drive pulses have been performed on the Omega Laser Facility [T. R. Boehly, D. L. Brown, R. S. Craxton et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] to demonstrate hydrodynamic-equivalent ignition performance. The multiple-shock drive pulse facilitates experimental shock tuning using an established cone-in-shell target platform [T. R. Boehly, R. Betti, T. R. Boehly et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 056301 (2009)]. These shock-tuned drive pulses have been used to implode cryogenic-DT targets with peak implosion velocities of 3 x 10^7 cm/ s at peak drive intensities of 8 x 10^14 W/cm^2. During a recent series of alpha ~ 2 implosions, one of the two necessary conditions for initiating a thermonuclear burn wave in a DT plasma was achieved: an areal density of approximately 300 mg/cm^2 was inferred using the magnetic recoil spectrometer [J. A. Frenje, C. K. Li, F. H. Séguin et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 042704 (2009)]. The other condition—a burn-averaged ion temperature n of 8–10 keV—cannot be achieved on Omega because of the limited laser energy; the kinetic energy of the imploding shell is insufficient to heat the plasma to these temperatures. A n of approximately 3.4 keV would be required to demonstrate ignition hydrodynamic equivalence [Betti et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 058102 (2010)]. The n reached during the recent series of alpha ~ 2 implosions was approximately 2 keV, limited primarily by laser-drive and target nonuniformities. Work is underway to improve drive and target symmetry for future experiments.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: FC52-08NA28302
• OSTI ID: 978324
• Report Number(s): DOE/NA/28302-947; 2009-111; 1928
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 17, Issue 5; Conference: 51st Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics, Atlanta, GA, 2-6 November 2009
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English