19 research outputs found
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, 1.37Â MJ of fusion for 1.92Â 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
Planar Rayleigh-Taylor and Feedthrough experiments with CH(Ge) on OMEGA
Germanium-doped CH (CHGe) is one nominal ablator for LMJ
target design. To investigate its properties we performed indirect drive
planar Rayleigh-Taylor experiments on the OMEGA laser facility [1]. On each
shot foil motion and modulations growth were simultaneously measured by
side-on and face-on radiography, while drive was assessed by measuring
radiation escaping through the hohlraum laser-entrance-hole (LEH). This
complete set of data allows a more stringent comparison between the
hydrocode simulations and the experimental results. We compare CHGe
perturbations growth with those acquired on CHBr in the same experimental
configuration. These preliminary results are the first step toward a
test-bed validation of CH(Ge) as an ablator on OMEGA and further on LiL [2]
Radiative ablation with two ionizing fronts when opacity displays a sharp absorption edge
Stationary Bragg reflection of laser light in inhomogeneous absorbing plasmas inside inertial confinement fusion Hohlraums
International audienceLaser-produced plasma in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) Hohlraums are marked with density non-uniformity whose length scale can go down to micrometers. This scale is of the order of the laser wavelength. The WKB approximation, which is classically used in radiation-hydrodynamic codes to compute the laser trajectory, cannot correctly take into account such small-scale inhomogeneity of the plasma. Going beyond this approximation, we predict a novel mechanism for the laser reflection. We show that an electromagnetic plane wave with wave number k resonates with the kB=2 k Fourier component of a multimode perturbation of the background density and generates a reflected wave. It is the first time that this reflection is considered for stationary inhomogeneous ICF plasmas, and the energy absorption is taken into account. This mechanism, which is a form of Bragg reflection, can occur away from the critical surface and generate a drift of the location of the laser absorption. Furthermore, this absorption will be periodically modulated with a kB wave number. The stationary Bragg reflection can explain ongoing discrepancies between experimental and numerical data about laser trajectory and absorption in ICF Hohlraums
Update on ignition studies at CEA
This article sums up the theoretical and experimental studies about
ignition. Three experiments are salient this year on the Omega laser in
collaboration with DOE laboratories (1) 3 cones of beams allow to mimic the
LMJ configuration and to get symmetry measurements. (2) We measured
perturbations due to hydro-instability in CHGe planar samples with face-on
and side-on radiographs. (3) We improved our nuclear diagnostics,
particularly the neutron image system tested on direct drive implosions. As far as LMJ target design is concerned, we defined a preliminary domain
corresponding to the possible operation at 2ω. At 3ω we studied the low mode
instability effects on the DT deformation (due to the laser or to the
target) and on the yield. The stability is clearly improved with graded
doped CH for our nominal capsule L1215