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Title: Enhanced energy coupling for indirectly driven inertial confinement fusion

Abstract

The indirect drive scheme for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) employs x-rays generated within a high-Z cavity (hohlraum) to implode an embedded low-Z capsule filled with deuterium- tritium (DT) fuel to reach the high density and temperature required for thermonuclear burn. Recently, several cylinder hohlraum experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) have reached the alpha-heating regime [1] where the self-heating by fusion products becomes dominant, producing neutron yields above 1 1016 [2{ 4]. However, there are still challenges on the path towards ignition, such as symmetry control, instability minimization and engineering feature mitigation [5]. Energy coupling from a cylindrical hohlraum to the capsule is typically less than 10%, or 150 kJ for a 1.9 MJ laser drive [1], thereby limiting the energy available in the final hot spot for fusion. Here we report the first experiment on NIF demonstrating 30% energy coupling to an Al capsule in a rugby-shaped Au hohlraum [6]. This high coupling efficiency can substantially enhance the performance margin and improve the prospects for ignition, both in mainline single- shell hot-spot designs and potential double-shell targets.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1] more »;  [2];  [2];  [2] « less
  1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  2. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
OSTI Identifier:
1507330
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1491646
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-18-21219; LLNL-JRNL-745363
Journal ID: ISSN 1745-2473
Grant/Contract Number:  
89233218CNA000001; AC52-07NA27344
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Nature Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 15; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 1745-2473
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group (NPG)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY

Citation Formats

Ping, Y., Smalyuk, V. A., Amendt, P., Tommasini, R., Field, J. E., Khan, S., Bennett, D., Dewald, E., Graziani, F., Johnson, S., Landen, O. L., MacPhee, A. G., Nikroo, A., Pino, J., Prisbrey, S., Ralph, J., Seugling, R., Strozzi, D., Tipton, R. E., Wang, Y. M., Loomis, E., Merritt, E., and Montgomery, D. Enhanced energy coupling for indirectly driven inertial confinement fusion. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1038/s41567-018-0331-5.
Ping, Y., Smalyuk, V. A., Amendt, P., Tommasini, R., Field, J. E., Khan, S., Bennett, D., Dewald, E., Graziani, F., Johnson, S., Landen, O. L., MacPhee, A. G., Nikroo, A., Pino, J., Prisbrey, S., Ralph, J., Seugling, R., Strozzi, D., Tipton, R. E., Wang, Y. M., Loomis, E., Merritt, E., & Montgomery, D. Enhanced energy coupling for indirectly driven inertial confinement fusion. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-018-0331-5
Ping, Y., Smalyuk, V. A., Amendt, P., Tommasini, R., Field, J. E., Khan, S., Bennett, D., Dewald, E., Graziani, F., Johnson, S., Landen, O. L., MacPhee, A. G., Nikroo, A., Pino, J., Prisbrey, S., Ralph, J., Seugling, R., Strozzi, D., Tipton, R. E., Wang, Y. M., Loomis, E., Merritt, E., and Montgomery, D. Mon . "Enhanced energy coupling for indirectly driven inertial confinement fusion". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-018-0331-5. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1507330.
@article{osti_1507330,
title = {Enhanced energy coupling for indirectly driven inertial confinement fusion},
author = {Ping, Y. and Smalyuk, V. A. and Amendt, P. and Tommasini, R. and Field, J. E. and Khan, S. and Bennett, D. and Dewald, E. and Graziani, F. and Johnson, S. and Landen, O. L. and MacPhee, A. G. and Nikroo, A. and Pino, J. and Prisbrey, S. and Ralph, J. and Seugling, R. and Strozzi, D. and Tipton, R. E. and Wang, Y. M. and Loomis, E. and Merritt, E. and Montgomery, D.},
abstractNote = {The indirect drive scheme for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) employs x-rays generated within a high-Z cavity (hohlraum) to implode an embedded low-Z capsule filled with deuterium- tritium (DT) fuel to reach the high density and temperature required for thermonuclear burn. Recently, several cylinder hohlraum experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) have reached the alpha-heating regime [1] where the self-heating by fusion products becomes dominant, producing neutron yields above 1 1016 [2{ 4]. However, there are still challenges on the path towards ignition, such as symmetry control, instability minimization and engineering feature mitigation [5]. Energy coupling from a cylindrical hohlraum to the capsule is typically less than 10%, or 150 kJ for a 1.9 MJ laser drive [1], thereby limiting the energy available in the final hot spot for fusion. Here we report the first experiment on NIF demonstrating 30% energy coupling to an Al capsule in a rugby-shaped Au hohlraum [6]. This high coupling efficiency can substantially enhance the performance margin and improve the prospects for ignition, both in mainline single- shell hot-spot designs and potential double-shell targets.},
doi = {10.1038/s41567-018-0331-5},
journal = {Nature Physics},
number = 2,
volume = 15,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Oct 29 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Mon Oct 29 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

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Cited by: 26 works
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Figures / Tables:

FIG. 1 FIG. 1: Top: laser power vs time for outer beams (blue), inner beams (red), total (black) and backlighter (green). The laser drive had a reverse-ramp shape with duration ∼4 ns, peak power of 350 TW, and total energy of 1.08 MJ of which 68 kJ was used for the backlighter.more » Middle: Experimental schematic showing representative outer beams (blue) and inner beams (red). A Zr foil located at 12 mm from the target center was irradiated by 8 NIF beams to generate a 16 keV backlighter [20]. The hard x-rays are necessary to provide sufficient transmission through the imploded Al shell. The Al capsule supported by two 45 nm membranes was 3.0 mm in outer diameter and 148 µm thick, which is ∼ 50% greater than typical ICF capsules that are ∼ 2 mm in diameter. Two opposed windows made of HDC were patched on the hohlraum wall along the radiography axis to allow x-rays to pass through. Bottom: measured and simulated radiation temperature vs time.« less

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Works referenced in this record:

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Figures/Tables have been extracted from DOE-funded journal article accepted manuscripts.