| Institution: | (1) Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, NY 14623, USA;(2) Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA;(3) SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, USA;(4) Plasma Science and Fusion Center, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA;(5) General Atomics, San Diego, CA, USA |
| Abstract: | Direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is
expected to demonstrate high gain on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in
the next decade and is a leading candidate for inertial fusion energy
production. The demonstration of high areal densities in hydrodynamically
scaled cryogenic DT or D2 implosions with neutron yields that are a
significant fraction of the “clean” 1-D predictions will validate the
ignition-equivalent direct-drive target performance on the OMEGA laser at
the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). This paper highlights the
recent experimental and theoretical progress leading toward achieving this
validation in the next few years.
The NIF will initially be configured for X-ray drive and with no beams
placed at the target equator to provide a symmetric irradiation of a
direct-drive capsule. LLE is developing the “polar-direct-drive” (PDD)
approach that repoints beams toward the target equator. Initial 2-D
simulations have shown ignition. A unique “Saturn-like” plastic ring
around the equator refracts the laser light incident near the equator toward
the target, improving the drive uniformity.
LLE is currently constructing the multibeam, 2.6-kJ/beam, petawatt laser
system OMEGA EP. Integrated fast-ignition experiments, combining the OMEGA
EP and OMEGA Laser Systems, will begin in FY08. |
