Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion

High-Precision Timing Of Gated X-Ray Imagers At The National Ignition Facility HIGH-PRECISION TIMING OF GATED X-RAY IMAGERS AT THE NATIONAL IGNITION FACILITY

Abstract We describe techniques used to cross-time data acquired by gated x-ray imagers with laser beams at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The reference time offsets are established using a dedicated full system shot by collecting data from multiple groups of beam with spatial and temporal separation on a spherical target. By optimizing the experimental setup and data analysis, repeatable measurements of 15ps or better have been achieved. This demonstrates that the facility timing system, laser, and target diagnostics, are highly stable over year-long time scales