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Enhanced energy coupling for indirectly driven inertial confinement fusion
- Source :
- Nature Physics. 15:138-141
- Publication Year :
- 2018
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2018.
-
Abstract
- Recent experiments in the study of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the United States have reached the so-called alpha-heating regime1–3, in which the self-heating by fusion products becomes dominant, with neutron yields now exceeding 1 × 1016 (ref. 4) However, there are still challenges on the path towards ignition, such as minimization of the drive asymmetry, suppression of laser-plasma instabilities, and mitigation of fabrication features5. In addition, in the current cylindrical-hohlraum indirect drive schemes for ICF, a strong limitation is the inefficient (≤10%) absorption of the laser-produced hohlraum X-rays by the capsule as set by relative capsule-to-hohlraum surface areas. Here we report an experiment demonstrating ~30% energy coupling to an aluminium capsule in a rugby-shaped6, gold hohlraum. This high coupling efficiency can substantially increase the tolerance to residual imperfections and improve the prospects for ignition, both in mainline single-shell hot-spot designs and potential double-shell targets. High coupling efficiency between laser-induced hohlraum X-rays and targets is essential for reaching long-sought regimes for viable inertial confinement fusion. Experiments with a rugby hohlraum shape and an improved capsule now allow demonstration of more than 30%.
- Subjects :
- Physics
Fusion
Nuclear engineering
media_common.quotation_subject
General Physics and Astronomy
01 natural sciences
Asymmetry
010305 fluids & plasmas
law.invention
Ignition system
Hohlraum
law
0103 physical sciences
Neutron
010306 general physics
Absorption (electromagnetic radiation)
National Ignition Facility
Inertial confinement fusion
media_common
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 17452481 and 17452473
- Volume :
- 15
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Nature Physics
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........ad748e9dacf3fc9965cab4fd9d478920