EPJ Web of Conferences (Nov 2013)

Progress in the shock-ignition inertial confinement fusion concept

  • Theobald W.,
  • Casner A.,
  • Nora R.,
  • Ribeyre X.,
  • Lafon M.,
  • Anderson K.S.,
  • Betti R.,
  • Craxton R.S.,
  • Delettrez J.A.,
  • Frenje J.A.,
  • Glebov V.Yu.,
  • Gotchev O.V.,
  • Hohenberger M.,
  • Hu S.X.,
  • Marshall F.J.,
  • McCrory R.L.,
  • Meyerhofer D.D.,
  • Perkins L.J.,
  • Sangster T.C.,
  • Schurtz G.,
  • Seka W.,
  • Smalyuk V.A.,
  • Stoeckl C.,
  • Yaakobi B.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20135903001
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 59
p. 03001

Abstract

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Shock-ignition experiments with peak laser intensities of ∼8 × 1015 W/cm2 were performed. D2-filled plastic shells were compressed on a low adiabat by 40 of the 60 OMEGA beams. The remaining 20 beams were delayed and tightly focused onto the imploding shell to generate a strong shock. Up to 35% backscattering of laser energy was measured at the highest intensity. Hard x-ray measurements reveal a relatively low hot-electron temperature of ∼40 keV, independent of intensity and spike onset time.