Optimization of laser illumination configuration for directly driven inertial confinement fusion

Optimum laser configurations are presented to achieve high illumination uniformity with directly driven inertial confinement fusion targets.Assuming axisymmetric absorption pattern of individual laser beams,theoretical models are reviewed in terms of the number of laser beams,system imperfection,and laser beam patterns.Utilizing a self-organizing system of charged particles on a sphere,a simple numerical model is provided to give an optimal configuration for an arbitrary number of laser beams.As a result,such new configurations as“M48”and“M60”are found to show substantially higher illumination uniformity than any other existing direct drive systems.A new polar direct-drive scheme is proposed with the laser axes keeping off the target center,which can be applied to laser configurations designed for indirectly driven inertial fusion.

Diagnostic technique for measuring fusion reaction rate for inertial confinement fusion experiments at Shen Guang-III prototype laser facility

A study is conducted using a two-dimensional simulation program （Lared-s） with the goal of developing a technique to evaluate the effect of Rayleigh-Taylor growth in a neutron fusion reaction region. Two peaks of fusion reaction rate are simulated by using a two-dimensional simulation program （Lared-s） and confirmed by the experimental results. A neutron temporal diagnostic （NTD） system is developed with a high temporal resolution of - 30 ps at the Shen Guang-Ⅲ （SG-Ⅲ） prototype laser facility in China, to measure the fusion reaction rate history. With the shape of neutron reaction rate curve and the spherical harmonic function in this paper, the degree of Rayleigh-Taylor growth and the main source of the neutron yield in our experiment can be estimated qualitatively. This technique, including the diagnostic system and the simulation program, may provide important information for obtaining a higher neutron yield in implosion experiments of inertial confinement fusion.

An improved deconvolution method for X-ray coded imaging in inertial confinement fusion

In inertial confinement fusion （ICF）, X-ray coded imaging is considered as the most potential means to diagnose the compressed core. The traditional Richardson-Lucy （RL） method has a strong ability to deblur the image where the noise follows the Poisson distribution. However, it always suffers from over-fitting and noise amplification, especially when the signal-to-noise ratio of image is relatively low. In this paper, we propose an improved deconvolution method for X-ray coded imaging. We model the image data as a set of independent Gaussian distributions and derive the iterative solution with a maximum-likelihood scheme. The experimental results on X-ray coded imaging data demonstrate that this method is superior to the RL method in terms of anti-overfitting and noise suppression.

dispersion grating;frequency modulation-to-amplitude modulation conversion;high-power laser facility;inertial confinement fusion;phase modulation

Frequency modulation(FM)-to-amplitude modulation(AM) conversion is an important factor that affects the time±power curve of inertial confinement fusion(ICF) high-power laser facilities. This conversion can impact uniform compression and increase the risk of damage to optics. However, the dispersive grating used in the smoothing by spectral dispersion technology will introduce a temporal delay and can spatially smooth the target. The combined effect of the dispersive grating and the focusing lens is equivalent to a Gaussian low-pass filter, which is equivalent to 8 GHz bandwidth and can reduce the intensity modulation on the target to below 5% with 0.3 nm @ 3 GHz + 20 GHz spectrum phase modulation. The results play an important role in the testing and evaluating of the FM-to-AM on the final optics and the target, which is beneficial for comprehensively evaluating the load capacity of the facility and isentropic compression experiment for ICF.

Inertial confinement fusion ignition achieved at the National Ignition Facility–an editorial

On behalf of all at High Power Laser Science and Engineering we would like to congratulate the team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory(LLNL)on demonstrating fusion ignition at the National Ignition Facility.This major scientific achievement was realized on the 5 December 2022 at the LLNL and announced at a press briefing on the 13 December 2022 by the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.This was a historic milestone and the culmination of decades of effort.

Multibeam laser-plasma interaction at the Gekko XII laser facility in conditions relevant for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion

Laser–plasma interaction and hot electrons have been characterized in detail in laser irradiation conditions relevant for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion.The experiment was carried out at the Gekko XII laser facility in multibeam planar target geometry at an intensity of approximately 3×10^(15)W/cm^(2).Experimental data suggest that high-energy electrons,with temperatures of 20–50 keV and conversion efficiencies ofη<1%,were mainly produced by the damping of electron plasma waves driven by two-plasmon decay(TPD).Stimulated Raman scattering(SRS)is observed in a near-threshold growth regime,producing a reflectivity of approximately 0.01%,and is well described by an analytical model accounting for the convective growth in independent speckles.The experiment reveals that both TPD and SRS are collectively driven by multiple beams,resulting in a more vigorous growth than that driven by single-beam laser intensity.

Raman-Brillouin interplay for inertial confinement fusion relevant laser-plasma interaction

The co-existence of the Raman and Brillouin backscattering instability is an important issue for inertial confinement fusion. The present paper presents extensive one-dimensional(1D) particle-in-cell(PIC) simulations for a wide range of parameters extending and complementing previous findings. PIC simulations show that the scenario of reflectivity evolution and saturation is very sensitive to the temperatures, intensities, size of plasma and boundary conditions employed. The Langmuir decay instability is observed for rather small k_(epw)λ_D but has no influence on the saturation of Brillouin backscattering, although there is a clear correlation of Langmuir decay instability modes and ion-fractional decay for certain parameter ranges. Raman backscattering appears at any intensity and temperature but is only a transient phenomenon. In several configurations forward as well as backward Raman scattering is observed. For the intensities considered, I λ_o^2 above 10^(15) W μm^2/cm^2, Raman is always of bursty nature. A particular setup allows the simulation of multi-speckle aspects in which case it is found that Raman is self-limiting due to strong modifications of the distribution function. Kinetic effects are of prime importance for Raman backscattering at high temperatures. No unique scenario for the saturation of Raman scattering or Raman–Brillouin competition does exist. The main effect in the considered parameter range is pump depletion because of large Brillouin backscattering. However, in the low k_(epw)λ_D regime the presence of ion-acoustic waves due to the Langmuir decay instability from the Raman created electron plasma waves can seed the ion-fractional decay and affect the Brillouin saturation.

Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Collider for Heavy Ion Fusion

Heavy Ion Fusion makes use of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Lab and the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland for Inertial Confinement Fusion. Two Storage Rings, which may or may not initially be needed, added to each of the Colliders increases the intensity of the Heavy Ion Beams making it comparable to the Total Energy delivered to the DT target by the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore Lab. The basic Physics involved gives Heavy Ion Fusion an advantage over Laser Fusion because heavy ions have greater penetration power than photons. The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider can be used as a Prototype Heavy Ion Fusion Reactor for the Large Hadron Collider.

Developing one-dimensional implosions for inertial confinement fusion science

Experiments on the National Ignition Facility show that multi-dimensional effects currently dominate the implosion performance. Low mode implosion symmetry and hydrodynamic instabilities seeded by capsule mounting features appear to be two key limiting factors for implosion performance. One reason these factors have a large impact on the performance of inertial confinement fusion implosions is the high convergence required to achieve high fusion gains.To tackle these problems, a predictable implosion platform is needed meaning experiments must trade-off high gain for performance. LANL has adopted three main approaches to develop a one-dimensional(1D) implosion platform where 1D means measured yield over the 1D clean calculation. A high adiabat, low convergence platform is being developed using beryllium capsules enabling larger case-to-capsule ratios to improve symmetry. The second approach is liquid fuel layers using wetted foam targets. With liquid fuel layers, the implosion convergence can be controlled via the initial vapor pressure set by the target fielding temperature. The last method is double shell targets. For double shells, the smaller inner shell houses the DT fuel and the convergence of this cavity is relatively small compared to hot spot ignition. However,double shell targets have a different set of trade-off versus advantages. Details for each of these approaches are described.

Progress in particle-beam-driven inertial fusion research: Activities in Japan

Research activities in Japan relevant to particle beam inertial fusion are briefly reviewed.These activities can be ascended to the 1980s.During the past three decades,significant progress in particle beam fusion,pulsed power systems,accelerator schemes for intense beams,target physics,and high-energy-density physics research has been made by a number of research groups at universities and accelerator facilities in Japan.High-flux ions have been extracted from laser ablation plasmas.Controllability of the ion velocity distribution in the plasma by an axial magnetic and/or electric field has realized a stable high-flux low-emittance beam injector.Beam dynamics have been studied both theoretically and experimentally.The efforts have been concentrated on the beam behavior during the final compression stage of intense beam accelerators.A novel accelerator scheme based on a repetitive induction modulator has been proposed as a cost-effective particle-beam driver scheme.Beam-plasma interaction and pulse-powered plasma experiments have been investigated as relevant studies of particle beam inertial fusion.An irradiation method to mitigate the instability in imploding target has been proposed using oscillating heavy-ion beams.The new irradiation method has reopened the exploration of direct drive scheme of particle beam fusion.

Optimization of hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration of ion beams for fusion ignition

In contrast to ion beams produced by conventional accelerators,ion beams accelerated by ultrashort intense laser pulses have advantages of ultrashort bunch duration and ultrahigh density,which are achieved in compact size.However,it is still challenging to simultaneously enhance their quality and yield for practical applications such as fast ion ignition of inertial confinement fusion.Compared with other mechanisms of laser-driven ion acceleration,the hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration has a special advantage in generating high-fluence ion beams suitable for the creation of high energy density state of matters.In this paper,we present a review on some theoretical and numerical studies of the hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration.First we discuss the typical field structure associated with this mechanism,its intrinsic feature of oscillations,and the underling physics.Then we will review some recently proposed schemes to enhance the beam quality and the efficiency in the hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration,such as matching laser intensity profile with target density profile,and using two-ion-species targets.Based on this,we propose an integrated scheme for efficient high-quality hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration,in which the longitudinal density profile of a composite target as well as the laser transverse intensity profile are tailored according to the matching condition.

A fitting formula for electron–ion energy partition fraction of 3.54-MeV fusion alpha particles in hot dense deuterium–tritium plasmas

Based on our previous work(Phys.Plasmas 25 012704(2018)),a fitting formula is given for electron-ion energy partition fraction of 3.54-MeV fusion alpha particles in deuterium-tritium(DT) plasmas as a function of plasma mass density ρ,electron temperature T_(e),and ion temperature T_(i).The formula can be used in a huge range of the plasma state,where ρ varies between 1.0 g/cc~10.0^(3) g/cc and both T_(e) and T_(i) change from 0.1 keV to 100.0 keV.Relativistic effect for electrons is investigated including the effect of the projectile recoil in the plasmas at T_(e)≥ 50.0 keV.The partition fraction for T_(e)>T_(i) is found to be close to that for T_(e)=T_(i). The comparisons with other fitting results are made at some plasma densities when T_(e)=T_(i),and the difference is explained.The fitting result is very close to the calculated one in most cases,which is convenient for the simulation of alpha heating in hot dense DT plasmas for inertial confined fusion.

Achievement of Laser Fusion with High Energy Efficiency Using a Mixture of D and T Ions

A mixture of deuterium (D) and tritium (T) is the most likely fuel for laser-driven inertial confinement fusion (ICF) reactors and hence DD and DT are the fusion reactions that will fire these reactors in the future. Neutrons produced from the two reactions will escape from the burning plasma, in the reactor core, and they are the only products possible to be measured directly. DT/DD neutron ratio is crucial for evaluation of T/D fuel ratio, burn control, tritium cycle and alpha particle self-heating power. To measure this ratio experimentally, the neutron spectra of DD and DT reactions have to be measured separately and simultaneously under high neutron counting with sufficient statistics (typically within 10% error) in a very short time and these issues are mutually contradicted. That is why it is not plausible to measure this high priority ratio for reactor performance accurately. Precise calculations of the DT/DD neutron ratio are needed. Here, we introduce such calculations using a three dimensional (3-D) Monte Carlo code at energies up to 40 MeV (the predicted maximum ion acceleration energy with the available laser systems). In addition, the fusion power ratio of DD and DT reactions is calculated for the same energy range. The study indicates that for a mixture of 50% deuterium and 50% triton, with taking into account the reactions D(d,n)3He and T(d,n)4He, the optimum energy value for achieving the most efficient laser-driven ICF is 0.08 MeV.

Future for inertial-fusion energy in Europe:a roadmap

The recent achievement of fusion ignition with laser-driven technologies at the National Ignition Facility sets a historic accomplishment in fusion energy research.This accomplishment paves the way for using laser inertial fusion as a viable approach for future energy production.Europe has a unique opportunity to empower research in this field internationally,and the scientific community is eager to engage in this journey.We propose establishing a European programme on inertial-fusion energy with the mission to demonstrate laser-driven ignition in the direct-drive scheme and to develop pathway technologies for the commercial fusion reactor.The proposed roadmap is based on four complementary axes:(ⅰ)the physics of laser-plasma interaction and burning plasmas;(ⅱ)high-energy high repetition rate laser technology;(ⅲ)fusion reactor technology and materials;and(ⅳ)reinforcement of the laser fusion community by international education and training programmes.We foresee collaboration with universities,research centres and industry and establishing joint activities with the private sector involved in laser fusion.This project aims to stimulate a broad range of high-profile industrial developments in laser,plasma and radiation technologies along with the expected high-level socio-economic impact.

From concept to reality-A review to the primary test stand and its preliminary application in high energy density physics

Pulsed power technology,whereas the electrical energy stored in a relative long period is released in much shorter timescale,is an efficient method to create high energy density physics(HEDP)conditions in laboratory.Around the beginning of this century,China Academy of Engineering Physics(CAEP)began to build some experimental facilities for HEDP investigations,among which the Primary Test Stand(PTS),a multi-module pulsed power facility with a nominal current of 10 MA and a current rising time~90 ns,is an important achievement on the roadmap of the electro-magnetically driven inertial confinement fusion(ICF)researches.PTS is the first pulsed power facility beyond 10 TW in China.Therefore,all the technologies have to be demonstrated,and all the engineering issues have to be overcome.In this article,the research outline,key technologies and the preliminary HEDP experiments are reviewed.Prospects on HEDP research on PTS and pulsed power development for the next step are also discussed.

Laser performance upgrade for precise ICF experiment in SG-Ⅲ laser facility

The SG-Ⅲlaser facility(SG-Ⅲ)is the largest laser driver for inertial confinement fusion(ICF)researches in China,which has 48 beamlines and can deliver 180 kJ ultraviolet laser energy in 3 ns.In order to meet the requirements of precise physics experiments,some new functionalities need to be added to SG-Ⅲand some intrinsic laser performances need upgrade.So at the end of SG-Ⅲ's engineering construction,the 2-year laser performance upgrade project started.This paper will introduce the newly added functionalities and the latest laser performance of SG-Ⅲ.With these function extensions and performance upgrade,SG-Ⅲis now fully prepared for precise ICF experiments and solidly paves the way towards fusion ignition.

P3: An installation for high-energy density plasma physics and ultra-high intensity laserematter interaction at ELI-Beamlines

ELI-Beamlines(ELI-BL),one of the three pillars of the Extreme Light Infrastructure endeavour,will be in a unique position to perform research in high-energy-density-physics(HEDP),plasma physics and ultra-high intensity(UHI)ð>10^(22) W=cm^(2)) lasereplasma interaction.Recently the need for HED laboratory physics was identified and the P3(plasma physics platform)installation under construction in ELI-BL will be an answer.The ELI-BL 10 PW laser makes possible fundamental research topics from high-field physics to new extreme states of matter such as radiation-dominated ones,high-pressure quantum ones,warm dense matter(WDM)and ultra-relativistic plasmas.HEDP is of fundamental importance for research in the field of laboratory astrophysics and inertial confinement fusion(ICF).Reaching such extreme states of matter now and in the future will depend on the use of plasma optics for amplifying and focusing laser pulses.This article will present the relevant technological infrastructure being built in ELI-BL for HEDP and UHI,and gives a brief overview of some research under way in the field of UHI,laboratory astrophysics,ICF,WDM,and plasma optics.

Theoretical and numerical research of wire array Z-pinch and dynamic hohlraum at IAPCM

Dense Z-pinch plasmas are powerful and energy-efficient laboratory sources of X-rays,and show the possibility to drive inertial confinement fusion(ICF).Recent advances in wire-array Z-pinch and Z-pinch dynamic hohlraum(ZPDH)researches at the Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics are presented in this paper.Models are setup to study different physical processes.A full circuit model(FCM)was used to study the coupling between Z-pinch implosion and generator discharge.A mass injection model with azimuthal modulation was setup to simulate the wire-array plasma initiation,and the two-dimensional MHD code MARED was developed to investigate the Z-pinch implosion,MRT instability,stagnation and radiation.Implosions of nested and quasi-spherical wire arrays were also investigated theoretically and numerically.Key processes of ZPDH,such as the arrayefoam interaction,formation of the hohlraum radiation,as well as the following capsule ablation and implosion,were analyzed with different radiation magneto-hydrodynamics(RMHD)codes.An integrated 2D RMHD simulation of dynamic hohlraum driven capsule implosion provides us the physical insights of wire-array plasma acceleration,shock generation and propagation,hohlraum formation,radiation ablation,and fuel compression.

Progress in octahedral spherical hohlraum study

In this paper,we give a review of our theoretical and experimental progress in octahedral spherical hohlraum study.From our theoretical study,the octahedral spherical hohlraums with 6 Laser Entrance Holes(LEHs)of octahedral symmetry have robust high symmetry during the capsule implosion at hohlraum-to-capsule radius ratio larger than 3.7.In addition,the octahedral spherical hohlraums also have potential superiority on low backscattering without supplementary technology.We studied the laser arrangement and constraints of the octahedral spherical hohlraums,and gave a design on the laser arrangement for ignition octahedral hohlraums.As a result,the injection angle of laser beams of 50°-60°was proposed as the optimum candidate range for the octahedral spherical hohlraums.We proposed a novel octahedral spherical hohlraum with cylindrical LEHs and LEH shields,in order to increase the laser coupling efficiency and improve the capsule symmetry and to mitigate the influence of the wall blowoff on laser transport.We studied on the sensitivity of the octahedral spherical hohlraums to random errors and compared the sensitivity among the octahedral spherical hohlraums,the rugby hohlraums and the cylindrical hohlraums,and the results show that the octahedral spherical hohlraums are robust to these random errors while the cylindrical hohlraums are the most sensitive.Up till to now,we have carried out three experiments on the spherical hohlraum with 2 LEHs on Shenguang(SG)laser facilities,including demonstration of improving laser transport by using the cylindrical LEHs in the spherical hohlraums,spherical hohlraum energetics on the SGIII prototype laser facility,and comparisons of laser plasma instabilities between the spherical hohlraums and the cylindrical hohlraums on the SGIII laser facility.

Electromagnetic Pulses Generated From Laser Target Interactions at Shenguang Ⅱ Laser Facility

Significant electromagnetic pulses （EMP） can be generated by the intensive laser irradiating solid targets in inertial confinement fusion （ICF）. To evaluate the EMP intensity and distribution in and outside the laser chamber, we designed and fabricated a discone antenna with ultra-wide bands of over 10 GHz. The return loss （Sn parameter） of this antenna was below -10 dB and could even achieve under -30 dB at 3.1 GHz. The EMP intensity in this study at 80 cm and 40 cm away from the target chamber center （TCC） reached 400 kV/m and 2000 kV/m. The current results are expected to offer preliminary information to study physics regarding laser plasma interactions and will also lay experimental foundation for EMI shielding design to protect various diagnostics.