Thermonuclear gain of a two-cascade laser-fusion target

One-dimensional numerical calculations are used to explore the possibility of thermonuclear fuel “ignition” (achieving an energy gainG ～ 1) in two-cascade laser-fusion targets with a relatively small aspect ratio for the inner shell. It is demonstrated that the parameters of the laser-produced thermonuclear plasma for a laser pulse energy of 200 kJ, various wavelengths of the laser radiation, and a simple pulse shape closely correspond to the “ignition” state for a target with an inner shell having an aspect ratio of ～ 3–10. This is indicative of the high energy efficiency of two-cascade targets that appear to be characterized by high reliability with respect to evolution of hydrodynamic instabilities.