Polymers replace glass in Nova fuel capsules

Abstract

The glass fuel-capsule designs used in previous laser-fusion research are not adaptable to the implosion-physics requirements of Nova and other more powerful laser facilities that may be available in the future. As one tries to learn more about the physics of high-density compression, it becomes increasingly important to replace the glass with lower-Z material. Accordingly, the authors have shut down the high-temperature drop-tower furnaces they used to make glass capsules, and they are focusing all their efforts on developing new techniques for making polymer capsules. These capsules are ten times larger in diameter than the glass capsules used in the early days of laser-fusion research, but they are still only one-tenth as large as a high-gain capsule must be. The polymer capsules will be used in classified indirect-drive targets. This article describes how the decisions were made on which polymers to use in the NOVA fuel capsules, the techniques explored, and the properties of the prototype capsules