Fast ignition of asymmetrically compressed targets for inertial confinement fusion

It is shown that fast ignition can ensure the combustion of asymmetrically compressed targets for inertial confinement fusion with an efficiency close to the combustion of one-dimensionally compressed targets. This statement is valid not only for targets specially designed for fast ignition. Fast heating by an external energy source can ensure the ignition of a target designed for spark ignition, but where this ignition does not occur because inhomogeneities are formed in the temperature and density distributions owing to the development of hydrodynamic instabilities. The condition for ignition is the fast heating of the plasma in the combustion initiation region whose size is comparable with the sizes of compression inhomogeneities. Thus, fast ignition not only significantly reduces the ignition energy, but also is possibly a necessary stage in the inertial confinement fusion scheme when the spherically symmetric compression of a target requires very high engineering and financial expenses. The studies are based on the numerical simulation of the compression and combustion of inertial confinement fusion targets with one- and two-dimensional hydrodynamic codes.     

惯性约束聚变黑腔内等离子体界面处的动理学效应及其影响

在惯性约束聚变物理研究中,等离子体界面处的动理学效应及其时空演化特性近年来受到重点关注,因为它会显著影响激光能量沉积、激光等离子体不稳定性、辐照对称性、黑腔和内爆性能等诸多物理。准确描绘等离子体特征界面附近的动理学效应是惯性约束聚变物理设计的基本需求,也是高能量密度物理中的具有挑战且未完全解决的问题。重点回顾近几年来本团队围绕等离子体动理学效应及其影响开展的一些研究工作:（1）聚变黑腔中金等离子体与靶丸冕区等离子体边缘处的电场结构及其加速的高能离子对内爆对称性的影响;（2）激光光路上高Z-低Z等离子体界面处的电场产生机制及其导致的反常离子扩散对激光等离子体不稳定性的影响;（3）等离子体中电磁场结构的质子照相反演。     

Velocity and timing of multiple spherically converging shock waves in liquid deuterium

The fuel entropy and required drive energy for an inertial confinement fusion implosion are set by a sequence of shocks that must be precisely timed to achieve ignition. This Letter reports measurements of multiple spherical shock waves in liquid deuterium that facilitate timing inertial confinement fusion shocks to the required precision. These experiments produced the highest shock velocity observed in liquid deuterium (U(s) = 135 km/s at ～2500 GPa) and also the first observation of convergence effects on the shock velocity. Simulations model the shock-timing results well when a nonlocal transport model is used in the coronal plasma.     

Comparison of ion acceleration from ultra-short intense laser interactions with thin foil and small dense target

The comparative efficiency and beam characteristics of high-energy ions generated from the interaction of a petawatt laser pulse with thin foil target and a small solid-density plasma bunch target have been studied by particle-in-cell simulation under identical conditions. It is shown that thin foil and small solid dense target of micrometer size can be efficiently accelerated when irradiated by a laser pulse of intensity >10²¹?W/cm². Using direct beam measurements, we find that small solid dense target acceleration produces higher energy particles with smaller divergence and a higher efficiency compared to thin foil target acceleration. The merits of small solid target acceleration can be exploited for potential applications such as its role as ignitor for fast ignition in inertial confinement fusion.     

反场构形的传输过程

介于惯性约束聚变与磁约束聚变之间的磁化靶聚变技术, 可能是一种实现纯聚变更低廉更有效的途径. 磁化靶聚变一般分为三个过程: 形成过程、传输过程和内爆压缩过程. 利用二维磁流体力学模拟程序MPF-2D, 对反场构形的传输过程进行了理论研究. 结果显示, 反场构形在传输过程中必须外加适当的磁场, 使得其内外磁压平衡, 才能维持其拓扑结构并进行稳定的传输. 还对初始磁压、传输磁场以及线圈间隙对反场构形传输过程的影响进行了详细的分析.     

反场构形的二维磁流体力学描述

磁化靶聚变技术作为实现纯聚变的一种途径,不需要惯性约束聚变的高初始密度(约1026cm-3),也不需要磁约束聚变的长约束时间(秒量级),可能是一种实现纯聚变更低廉更有效的途径.开发了一个二维磁流体力学模拟程序MPF-2D,用于描述反场构形的形成过程.采用该程序对美国洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室在反场构形形成装置上形成反场构形的实验进行了二维模拟和分析,理论值与实验值符合得较好;同时也对中国工程物理研究院流体物理研究所设计的"荧光-1"实验装置上形成的反场构形进行了模拟与评估,结果表明该装置上的反场构形基本达到设计指标.     

紧凑型可重复运行的高功率纳秒脉冲源

讨论了一种低阻抗、高储能密度、可输出中等高压的百ns脉冲形成技术,其输出波形质量较好;采用磁感应电压叠加技术将该脉冲形成装置输出的中等高压脉冲叠加到应用需求的高电压高功率脉冲。研究表明单个感应模块可在2.8 Ω的负载上获得脉冲宽度为220 ns,前沿为50 ns的中等高压脉冲。     

Dielectric Detector of Intense X-Ray Radiation Fluxes

Physics of Atomic Nuclei - The high sensitivity of traditional diagnostic methods hinders their application in inertial confinement fusion with the pulsed radiation power of target plasma being as...     

A review of Vlasov–Fokker–Planck numerical modeling of inertial confinement fusion plasma

The interaction of intense lasers with solid matter generates a hot plasma state that is well described by the Vlasov–Fokker–Planck equation. Accurate and efficient modeling of the physics in these scenarios is highly pertinent, because it relates to experimental campaigns to produce energy by inertial confinement fusion on facilities such as the National Ignition Facility. Calculations involving the Vlasov–Fokker–Planck equation are computationally intensive, but are crucial to proper understanding of a wide variety of physical effects and instabilities in inertial fusion plasmas. In this topical review, we will introduce the background physics related to Vlasov–Fokker–Planck simulation, and then proceed to describe results from numerical simulation of inertial fusion plasma in a pedagogical manner by discussing some key numerical algorithm developments that enabled the research to take place. A qualitative comparison of the techniques is also given.     

微波等离子体技术在ICF制靶中的应用

 为了提高ICF精密制靶的质量，提出用微波等离子体（MP）技术，包括等离子体薄膜制备、等离子体反应性离子束刻蚀、聚焦离子束刻蚀、掺杂纳米金属粉末制备和掺杂纳米金属粉末的表面包覆改性等技术，去加以改进和解决。此方法与其它成膜技术相结合，在ICF精密制靶中得到广泛应用。     

Nonlocal Heat Transfer in a Laser Inertial Confinement Fusion for the Direct Irradiation Scheme

JETP Letters - High gradients of electron temperature appear in plasma corona under direct laser irradiation of inertial confinement fusion targets. This results in nonlocality of heat transport....     

Measurement of the dispersion of thermal ion-acoustic fluctuations in high-temperature laser plasmas using multiple-wavelength Thomson scattering

The dispersion of ion-acoustic fluctuations has been measured using a novel technique that employs multiple color Thomson-scattering diagnostics to measure the frequency spectrum for two separate thermal ion-acoustic fluctuations with significantly different wave vectors. The plasma fluctuations are shown to become dispersive with increasing electron temperature. We demonstrate that this technique allows a time resolved local measurement of electron density and temperature in inertial confinement fusion plasmas.     

Efective Parameters on Energy Losses of Fast Electron in Fusion Mediums

The stopping and scattering of fast electrons in a dense plasma relevant to inertial confinement fusion(ICF)are investigated numerically with the latest improved cross section equations.Binary and collective efects are considered to determine beam transport parameters such as range,penetration depth,spreading processes as straggling and blooming versus electron energy and plasma parameters.Blooming and straggling efects,which act as consequences of scattering with statistical assumption in collisions,lead to a non-uniform,extended region of energy deposition.Finally the mean angle of deflections is calculated for diferent plasma energies.     

Effective Parameters on Energy Losses of Fast Electron in Fusion Mediums

The stopping and scattering of fast electrons in a dense plasma relevant to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) are investigated numerically with the latest improved cross section equations. Binary and collective effects are considered to determine beam transport parameters such as range, penetration depth, spreading processes as straggling and blooming versus electron energy and plasma parameters. Blooming and straggling effects, which act as consequences of scattering with statistical assumption in collisions, lead to a non-uniform, extended region of energy deposition. Finally the mean angle of deflections is calculated for different plasma energies.     

高能量密度氘、氦的第一原理研究进展

极端条件下氘、氦的研究对于凝聚态物理、等离子体物理、天体物理以及惯性约束聚变的研究具有重要意义.文章综述了近年来温稠密区、热稠密区以及低温高压区的最新研究进展,归纳了尚待解决的科学问题,从而为进一步的研究提供参考.     

Separation of ions on the front of a shock wave in a multicomponent plasma

The structure of a shock wave propagating in a plasma with two types of ions has been studied within the model of multifluid hydrodynamics based on the 13-moment system of Grad’s equations. Although the averaged dynamics of the shock front coincides with the single-component variant of the average-ion model, its structure is different at a noticeable difference between charge-to-mass ratios of different ions, demonstrating their separation on the shock front. For the problem of inertial confinement fusion, the range of parameters for which such a separation is important, as well as physical processes determining the two-component structure of the shock front, has been established.     

Increase in radiation intensity in a quasi-spherical “double liner”/“dynamic hohlraum” system

A concept of the magnetic implosion of quasi-spherical liners, concentration of their kinetic energies, conversion of energy into thermal radiation, confinement of its energy in the cavity of an emitting plasma shell in the “double liner”/“dynamic hohlraum” system, and the irradiation of a spherical target is proposed for the physics of high energy densities and inertial confinement fusion. The radiation intensity on the target was shown to increase considerably due to capture of radiation in the process of converting the kinetic energy of the liner into radiation. The dynamics of the liners and the generation of radiation are simulated by the ZETA code using a physical model developed for a nonequilibrium plasma in a cylindrical geometry. The effect of the instability and inhomogeneity of the liners on confinement of radiation energy is estimated.     

Compression and combustion of non-cryogenic targets with a solid thermonuclear fuel for inertial fusion

Variants of a target with a solid thermonuclear fuel in the form of deuterium-tritium hydrides of light metals for an inertial fusion have been proposed. The laser-pulse-induced compression of non-cryogenic targets, as well as ignition and combustion of such targets, has been examined. The numerical calculations show that, despite a decrease in the caloric content of the fuel and an increase in the energy losses on intrinsic radiation in the target containing deuterium-tritium hydrides of light metals as compared to the target containing deuterium-tritium ice, the non-cryogenic target can ensure the fusion gain sufficient for its use in the energy cycle of a thermonuclear power plant based on the inertial plasma confinement method.     

多点光源相衬成像法应用于内爆背光照相实验

针对常规内爆背光照相中存在的光源均匀性差、 靶丸图像烧蚀层与气体层界面不清晰、 瞄准精度差等关键问题设计了新型的背光照相靶. 在神光II大型激光装置上采用阵列点光源结合相衬成像的方式获取了清晰的靶丸烧蚀层与气体层界面信息, 同时具备光源均匀性好, 成像视场大的优点; 采用诊断狭缝限光的方式大大提高了瞄准精度使得整体图像质量优于常规靶设计. 实验结果表明, 激光驱动等离子体产生的点光源结合相衬成像方法在精密物理诊断中具有重要的作用, 可以广泛应用于惯性约束聚变以及高能量密度物理研究. 关键词： 惯性约束聚变 背光照相 针孔点背光 相衬成像