Cryogenic tritium-hydrogen-deuterium and deuterium-tritium layer implosions with high density carbon ablators in near-vacuum hohlraums
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, Livermore, California 94551-0808 (United States)
High Density Carbon (or diamond) is a promising ablator material for use in near-vacuum hohlraums, as its high density allows for ignition designs with laser pulse durations of <10 ns. A series of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) experiments in 2013 on the National Ignition Facility [Moses et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 041006 (2009)] culminated in a deuterium-tritium (DT) layered implosion driven by a 6.8 ns, 2-shock laser pulse. This paper describes these experiments and comparisons with ICF design code simulations. Backlit radiography of a tritium-hydrogen-deuterium (THD) layered capsule demonstrated an ablator implosion velocity of 385 km/s with a slightly oblate hot spot shape. Other diagnostics suggested an asymmetric compressed fuel layer. A streak camera-based hot spot self-emission diagnostic (SPIDER) showed a double-peaked history of the capsule self-emission. Simulations suggest that this is a signature of low quality hot spot formation. Changes to the laser pulse and pointing for a subsequent DT implosion resulted in a higher temperature, prolate hot spot and a thermonuclear yield of 1.8 × 10{sup 15} neutrons, 40% of the 1D simulated yield.
- OSTI ID:
- 22410523
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 22, Issue 6; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ASYMMETRY
CAPSULES
COMPRESSION
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
DEUTERIUM
DIAMONDS
HOT SPOTS
HYDROGEN
IMPLOSIONS
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
LASER CAVITIES
LASER RADIATION
NEUTRONS
PLASMA SIMULATION
PULSES
STREAK CAMERAS
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0400-1000 K
TRITIUM
US NATIONAL IGNITION FACILITY