Evaluation of laser-driven ion energies for fusion fast-ignition research
Tosaki, S.; Yogo, A.; Koga, K.; Okamoto, K.; Shokita, S.; Morace, A.; Arikawa, Y.; Fujioka, S.; Nakai, M.; Shiraga, H.; Azechi, H.; Nishimura, H.
2017-10-01
We investigate laser-driven ion acceleration using kJ-class picosecond (ps) laser pulses as a fundamental study for ion-assisted fusion fast ignition, using a newly developed Thomson-parabola ion spectrometer (TPIS). The TPIS has a space- and weight-saving design, considering its use in an laser-irradiation chamber in which 12 beams of fuel implosion laser are incident, and, at the same time, demonstrates sufficient performance with its detectable range and resolution of the ion energy required for fast-ignition research. As a fundamental study on laser-ion acceleration using a ps pulse laser, we show proton acceleration up to 40 MeV at 1 × 10^{19} W cm^{-2}. The energy conversion efficiency from the incident laser into protons higher than 6 MeV is 4.6%, which encourages the realization of fusion fast ignition by laser-driven ions.
Fusion ignition via a magnetically-assisted fast ignition approach
Wang, W. -M.; Gibbon, P.; Sheng, Z. -M.; Li, Y. T.; Zhang, J.
2016-01-01
Significant progress has been made towards laser-driven fusion ignition via different schemes, including direct and indirect central ignition, fast ignition, shock ignition, and impact ignition schemes. However, to reach ignition conditions, there are still various technical and physical challenges to be solved for all these schemes. Here, our multi-dimensional integrated simulation shows that the fast-ignition conditions could be achieved when two 2.8 petawatt heating laser pulses counter-pr...
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Ma, Tammy Yee Wing [Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)
2010-01-01
The reentrant cone approach to Fast Ignition, an advanced Inertial Confinement Fusion scheme, remains one of the most attractive because of the potential to efficiently collect and guide the laser light into the cone tip and direct energetic electrons into the high density core of the fuel. However, in the presence of a preformed plasma, the laser energy is largely absorbed before it can reach the cone tip. Full scale fast ignition laser systems are envisioned to have prepulses ranging between 100 mJ to 1 J. A few of the imperative issues facing fast ignition, then, are the conversion efficiency with which the laser light is converted to hot electrons, the subsequent transport characteristics of those electrons, and requirements for maximum allowable prepulse this may put on the laser system. This dissertation examines the laser-to-fast electron conversion efficiency scaling with prepulse for cone-guided fast ignition. Work in developing an extreme ultraviolet imager diagnostic for the temperature measurements of electron-heated targets, as well as the validation of the use of a thin wire for simultaneous determination of electron number density and electron temperature will be discussed.
Physical studies of fast ignition in China
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
He, X T; Cai, Hong-bo; Wu, Si-zhong; Cao, Li-hua; Zhang, Hua; He, Ming-qing; Chen, Mo; Wu, Jun-feng; Zhou, Cang-tao; Zhou, Wei-Min; Shan, Lian-qiang; Wang, Wei-wu; Zhang, Feng; Bi, Bi; Zhao, Zong-qing; Gu, Yu-qiu; Zhang, Bao-han; Wang, Wei; Fang, Zhi-heng; Lei, An-le
2015-01-01
Fast ignition approach to inertial confinement fusion is one of the important goals today, in addition to central hot spot ignition in China. The SG-IIU and PW laser facilities are coupled to investigate the hot spot formation for fast ignition. The SG-III laser facility is almost completed and will be coupled with tens kJ PW lasers for the demonstration of fast ignition. In recent years, for physical studies of fast ignition, we have been focusing on the experimental study of implosion symmetry, M-band radiation preheating and mixing, advanced fast ignition target design, and so on. In addition, the modeling capabilities and code developments enhanced our ability to perform the hydro-simulation of the compression implosion, and the particle-in-cell (PIC) and hybrid-PIC simulation of the generation, transport and deposition of relativistic electron beams. Considerable progress has been achieved in understanding the critical issues of fast ignition. (paper)
Development of fast ignition integrated interconnecting code (FI3) for fast ignition scheme
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Nagatomo, H.; Johzaki, T.; Mima, K.; Sunahara, A.; Nishihara, K.; Izawa, Y.; Sakagami, H.; Nakao, Y.; Yokota, T.; Taguchi, T.
2005-01-01
The numerical simulation plays an important role in estimating the feasibility and performance of the fast ignition. There are two key issues in numerical analysis for the fast ignition. One is the controlling the implosion dynamics to form a high density core plasma in non-spherical implosion, and the other is heating core plasma efficiency by the short pulse high intense laser. From initial laser irradiation to final fusion burning, all the physics are coupling strongly in any phase, and they must be solved consistently in computational simulation. However, in general, it is impossible to simulate laser plasma interaction and radiation hydrodynamics in a single computational code, without any numerical dissipation, special assumption or conditional treatment. Recently, we have developed 'Fast Ignition Integrated Interconnecting code' (FI 3 ) which consists of collective Particle-in-Cell code, Relativistic Fokker-Planck hydro code, and 2-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics code. And those codes are connecting with each other in data-flow bases. In this paper, we will present detail feature of the FI 3 code, and numerical results of whole process of fast ignition. (author)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Key, M H; Freeman, R R; Hatchett, S P; MacKinnon, A J; Patel, P K; Snavely, R A; Stephens, R B
2006-04-01
Fast ignition (FI) by a laser generated ballistically focused proton beam is a more recently proposed alternative to the original concept of FI by a laser generated beam of relativistic electrons. It has potential advantages in less complex energy transport into dense plasma. Recent successful target heating experiments motivate further investigation of the feasibility of proton fast ignition. The concept, the physics and characteristics of the proton beams, the recent experimental work on focusing of the beams and heating of solid targets and the overall prospects for proton FI are discussed
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Azechi, H.; Mima, K.; Fujimoto, Y.
2008-10-01
Since the approval of the first phase of Fast Ignition Realization Experiment (FIREX-I), we have devoted our efforts on designing advanced targets and constructing the world highest-energy Peta Watt laser. The new target design has the following features. The coupling efficiency from the heating laser to the thermal energy of the compressed core plasma can be increased by the two ways:1) Low-Z foam layer on the inner surface of the cone for optimum absorption. 2) Double cone. Electrons generated in the inner surface of the double cone will return by sheathe potential generated between two cones. The implosion performance can be improved by three ways: 3) Low-Z plastic layer on the outer surface of the cone may suppress the expansion of the Au cone that flows into the interior of the compressed core. 4) Br doped plastic ablator may significantly moderate the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, making implosion more stable. 5) Evacuation of the target center to prevent gas jets from destroying the cone tip. For project robustness, we also explore 6) impact ignition scheme that eliminates complexity of laser-plasma interaction while keeping the compactness advantage of fast ignition. The fully integrated fast ignition experiment is scheduled on 2009. If subsequent FIREX-II will start as proposed, the ignition and burn will be demonstrated shortly after the ignition at NIF and LMJ, providing a scientific database of both central and fast ignition. (author)
Enhanced Model for Fast Ignition
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Mason, Rodney J. [Research Applications Corporation, Los Alamos, NM (United States)
2010-10-12
Laser Fusion is a prime candidate for alternate energy production, capable of serving a major portion of the nation's energy needs, once fusion fuel can be readily ignited. Fast Ignition may well speed achievement of this goal, by reducing net demands on laser pulse energy and timing precision. However, Fast Ignition has presented a major challenge to modeling. This project has enhanced the computer code ePLAS for the simulation of the many specialized phenomena, which arise with Fast Ignition. The improved code has helped researchers to understand better the consequences of laser absorption, energy transport, and laser target hydrodynamics. ePLAS uses efficient implicit methods to acquire solutions for the electromagnetic fields that govern the accelerations of electrons and ions in targets. In many cases, the code implements fluid modeling for these components. These combined features, "implicitness and fluid modeling," can greatly facilitate calculations, permitting the rapid scoping and evaluation of experiments. ePLAS can be used on PCs, Macs and Linux machines, providing researchers and students with rapid results. This project has improved the treatment of electromagnetics, hydrodynamics, and atomic physics in the code. It has simplified output graphics, and provided new input that avoids the need for source code access by users. The improved code can now aid university, business and national laboratory users in pursuit of an early path to success with Fast Ignition.
Magnetically Assisted Fast Ignition
Wang, W.-M.; Gibbon, P.; Sheng, Z.-M.; Li, Y.-T.
2015-01-01
Fast ignition (FI) is investigated via integrated particle-in-cell simulation including both generation andtransport of fast electrons, where petawatt ignition lasers of 2 ps and compressed targets of a peak density of300 g cm−3 and areal density of 0.49 g cm−2 at the core are taken. When a 20 MG static magnetic field isimposed across a conventional cone-free target, the energy coupling from the laser to the core is enhancedby sevenfold and reaches 14%. This value even exceeds that obtained u...
Laser-plasma interactions for fast ignition
Kemp, A. J.; Fiuza, F.; Debayle, A.; Johzaki, T.; Mori, W. B.; Patel, P. K.; Sentoku, Y.; Silva, L. O.
2014-05-01
In the electron-driven fast-ignition (FI) approach to inertial confinement fusion, petawatt laser pulses are required to generate MeV electrons that deposit several tens of kilojoules in the compressed core of an imploded DT shell. We review recent progress in the understanding of intense laser-plasma interactions (LPI) relevant to FI. Increases in computational and modelling capabilities, as well as algorithmic developments have led to enhancement in our ability to perform multi-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of LPI at relevant scales. We discuss the physics of the interaction in terms of laser absorption fraction, the laser-generated electron spectra, divergence, and their temporal evolution. Scaling with irradiation conditions such as laser intensity are considered, as well as the dependence on plasma parameters. Different numerical modelling approaches and configurations are addressed, providing an overview of the modelling capabilities and limitations. In addition, we discuss the comparison of simulation results with experimental observables. In particular, we address the question of surrogacy of today's experiments for the full-scale FI problem.
Ultrahigh-brightness KrF laser system for fast ignition studies
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Shaw, M.J.; Ross, I.N.; Hooker, C.J.; Dodson, J.M.; Hirst, G.J.; Lister, J.M.D.; Divall, E.J.; Kidd, A.K.; Hancock, S.; Damerell, A.R.; Wyborn, B.E.
1999-01-01
The main requirements for a fast igniter laser beam are reviewed and shown to favour short wavelength and ultrahigh brightness. These requirements are met by the new KrF laser system at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory called TITANIA. TITANIA uses two schemes to enhance the laser beam brightness. The first is chirped pulse amplification which is used to enhance brightness by compressing the pulse into the femtosecond region. In this mode TITANIA produces in the region of 250 mJ on target in 700 fs. The second mode of operation uses a Raman technique for beam combining and beam clean-up which is designed to give a single beam of 80 Joules on target in a pulselength of 60 ps. In this scheme the KrF wavelength is Raman shifted to 268 nm. The Raman amplifiers will use gaseous rather than solid windows and experiments which demonstrate their feasibility will be described. A concept for a reactor scale fast igniter beam using the Raman technique will be discussed. (orig.)
100 TW CPA Nd: Glass laser for fast ignition research
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Fujita, H.; Daido, H.; Jitsuno, T.
2001-01-01
A 100 TW chirped pulse amplification (CPA) Nd:glass laser has been developed to investigate the fast ignition concept. The ultrashort-pulse (60 TW, 42 J, 0.7 ps) was focused on plane targets, plane targets with preformed plasma, and high density compressed plasmas produced by the GEKKO-XII (12 beam, 20 kJ) laser. Focus intensity of >10 19 W/cm 2 has been achieved. (author)
Analytical model for fast-shock ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ghasemi, S. A.; Farahbod, A. H.; Sobhanian, S.
2014-01-01
A model and its improvements are introduced for a recently proposed approach to inertial confinement fusion, called fast-shock ignition (FSI). The analysis is based upon the gain models of fast ignition, shock ignition and considerations for the fast electrons penetration into the pre-compressed fuel to examine the formation of an effective central hot spot. Calculations of fast electrons penetration into the dense fuel show that if the initial electron kinetic energy is of the order ∼4.5 MeV, the electrons effectively reach the central part of the fuel. To evaluate more realistically the performance of FSI approach, we have used a quasi-two temperature electron energy distribution function of Strozzi (2012) and fast ignitor energy formula of Bellei (2013) that are consistent with 3D PIC simulations for different values of fast ignitor laser wavelength and coupling efficiency. The general advantages of fast-shock ignition in comparison with the shock ignition can be estimated to be better than 1.3 and it is seen that the best results can be obtained for the fuel mass around 1.5 mg, fast ignitor laser wavelength ∼0.3 micron and the shock ignitor energy weight factor about 0.25
Conceptual design of a fast-ignition laser fusion reactor FALCON-D
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Goto, T.; Ogawa, Y.; Okano, K.; Hiwatari, R.; Asaoka, Y.; Someya, Y.; Sunahara, A.; Johzaki, T.
2008-10-01
A new conceptual design of the laser fusion power plant FALCON-D (Fast ignition Advanced Laser fusion reactor CONcept with a Dry wall chamber) has been proposed. The fast ignition method can achieve the sufficient fusion gain for a commercial operation (∼100) with about 10 times smaller fusion yield than the conventional central ignition method. FALCON-D makes full use of this property and aims at designing with a compact dry wall chamber (5 - 6 m radius). 1-D/2-D hydrodynamic simulations showed the possibility of the sufficient gain achievement with a 40 MJ target yield. The design feasibility of the compact dry wall chamber and solid breeder blanket system was shown through the thermomechanical analysis of the dry wall and neutronics analysis of the blanket system. A moderate electric output (∼400 MWe) can be achieved with a high repetition (30 Hz) laser. This dry wall concept not only reduces some difficulties accompanied with a liquid wall but also enables a simple cask maintenance method for the replacement of the blanket system, which can shorten the maintenance time. The basic idea of the maintenance method for the final optics system has also been proposed. Some critical R and D issues required for this design are also discussed. (author)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Batani, Dimitri; Morace, Alessio
2010-01-01
The recent 'fast ignition approach' to ICF relies on the presence of fast electrons to provide the 'external' ignition spark triggering the nuclear fusion reaction in the compressed core of a thermonuclear target. Such fast electron beam is produced by the interaction of a short-pulse high-intensity laser with the target itself. In this context, it becomes essential to characterize the density of fast electrons and their average energy (i.e. the 'laser to fast electron' energy conversion efficiency) but also the finer details of the velocity and angular distribution. In this work we will discuss several techniques used to determine the fast electron distribution function.
Linear induction accelerator requirements for ion fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Logan, G.
1998-01-01
Fast ignition (fast heating of DT cores afief compression) reduces driver energy (by 10 X or more) by reducing the implosion velocity and energy for a given fuel compression ratio. For any type of driver that can deliver the ignition energy fast enough, fast ignition increases the target gain compared to targets using fast implosions for central ignition, as long as the energy to heat the core after compression is comparable to or less than the slow compression energy, and as long as the coupling efficiency of the fast ignitor beam to heat the core is comparable to the overall efficiency of compressing the core (in terms of beam energy-to-DT-efficiency). Ion driven fast ignition, compared to laser-driven fast ignition, has the advantage of direct (dE/dx) deposition of beam energy to the DT, eliminating inefficiencies for conversion into hot electrons, and direct ion heating also has a more favorable deposition profile with the Bragg-peak near the end of an ion range chosen to be deep inside a compressed DT core. While Petawatt laser experiments at LLNL have demonstrated adequate light-to-hot-electron conversion efficiency, it is not yet known if light and hot electrons can channel deeply enough to heat a small portion of a IOOOxLD compressed DT core to ignition. On the other hand, lasers with chirped-pulse amplification giving thousand-fold pulse compressions have been demonstrated to produce the short pulses, small focal spots and Petawatt peak powers approaching those required for fast ignition, whereas ion accelerators that can produce sufficient beam quality for similar compression ratios and focal spot sizes of ion bunches have not yet been demonstrated, where an imposed coherent velocity tilt plays the analogous role for beam compression as does frequency chirp with lasers. Accordingly, it is the driver technology, not the target coupling physics, that poses the main challenge to ion-driven fast ignition. As the mainline HIF program is concentrating on
Antiproton fast ignition for inertial confinement fusion
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Perkins, L.J.
1999-01-01
With 180 MJ/microg, antiprotons offer the highest stored energy per unit mass of any known entity. The use of antiprotons to promote fast ignition in an inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsule and produce high target gains with only modest compression of the main fuel is investigated. Unlike standard fast ignition where the ignition energy is supplied by energetic, short pulse laser, the energy here is supplied through the ionization energy deposited when antiprotons annihilate at the center of a compressed fuel capsule. This can be considered in-situ fast ignition as it obviates the need for the external injection of the ignition energy. In the first of two candidate schemes, the antiproton package is delivered by a low-energy ion beam. In the second, autocatalytic scheme, the antiprotons are preemplaced at the center of the capsule prior to compression. In both schemes, the author estimates that ∼10 12 antiprotons are required to initiate fast ignition in a typical ICF capsule and show that incorporation of a thin, heavy metal shell is desirable to enhance energy deposition within the ignitor zone. In addition to eliminating the need for a second, energetic fast laser and vulnerable final optics, this scheme would achieve central ignition without reliance on laser channeling through halo plasma or Hohlraum debris. However, in addition to the practical difficulties of storage and manipulation of antiprotons at low energy, the other large uncertainty for the practicality of such a speculative scheme is the ultimate efficiency of antiproton production in an external, optimized facility. Estimates suggest that the electrical wall plug energy per pulse required for the separate production of the antiprotons is of the same order as that required for the conventional slow compression driver
Fast-shock ignition: a new approach to inertial confinement fusion
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
AH Farahbod
2013-03-01
Full Text Available A new concept for inertial confinement fusion called fast-shock ignition (FSI is introduced as a credible scheme in order to obtain high target gain. In the proposed model, the separation of fuel ignition into two successive steps, under the suitable conditions, reduces required ignitor energy for the fuel ignition. The main procedure in FSI concept is compressing the fuel up to stagnation. Then, two high intensity short pulse laser spikes with energy and power lower than those required for shock ignition (SI and fast ignition (FI with a proper delay time are launched at the fuel which increases the central hot-spot temperature and completes the ignition of the precompressed fuel. The introduced semi-analytical model indicates that with fast-shock ignition, the total required energy for compressing and igniting the fuel can be slightly reduced in comparison to pure shock ignition. Furthermore, for fuel mass greater than , the target energy gain increases up to 15 percent and the contribution of fast ignitor under the proper conditions could be decreased about 20 percent compared with pure fast ignition. The FSI scheme is beneficial from technological considerations for the construction of short pulse high power laser drivers. The general advantages of fast-shock ignition over pure shock ignition in terms of figure of merit can be more than 1.3.
Relativistic self focussing of laser beams at fast ignitor inertial fusion with volume ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Osman, F.; Castillo, R.; Hora, H.
1999-01-01
The alternative to the magnetic confinement fusion is inertial fusion energy mostly using lasers as drivers for compression and heating of pellets with deuterium and tritium fuel. Following the present technology of lasers with pulses of some megajoules energy and nanosecond duration, a power station for very low cost energy production (and without the problems of well erosion of magnetic confinement) could be available within 15 to 20 years. For the pellet compression, the scheme of spark ignition was mostly applied but its numerous problems with asymmetries and instabilities may be overcome by the alternative scheme of high gain volume ignition. This is a well established option of inertial fusion energy with lasers where a large range of possible later improvements is implied with respect to laser technology or higher plasma compression leading to energy production of perhaps five times below the present lowest level cost from fission reactors. A further improvement may be possible by the recent development of lasers with picosecond pulse duration using the fast igniter scheme which may reach even higher fusion gains with laser pulse energies of some 100 kilojoules
Laser fusion reactor design in a fast ignition with a dry wall chamber
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ogawa, Yichi; Goto, Takuya; Ninomiya, Daisuke; Hiwatari, Ryoji; Asaoka, Yoshiyuki; Okano, Kunihiko
2007-01-01
One of the critical issues in laser fusion reactor design is high pulse heat load on the first wall by the X-rays and the fast/debris ions from fusion burn. There are mainly two concepts for the first wall of laser fusion reactor, a dry wall and a liquid metal wall. We should notice that the fast ignition method can achieve sufficiently high pellet gain with smaller (about 1/10 of the conventional central ignition method) input energy. To take advantage of this property, the design of a laser fusion reactor with a small size dry wall chamber may become possible. Since a small fusion pulse leads to a small electric power, high repetition of laser irradiation is required to keep sufficient electric power. Then we tried to design a laser fusion reactor with a dry wall chamber and a high repetition laser. This is a new challenging path to realize a laser fusion plant. Based on the point model of the core plasma, we have estimated that fusion energy in one pulse can be reduced to be 40 MJ with a pellet gain around G>100. To evaluate the validity of this simple estimation and to optimize the pellet design and the pulse shaping for the fast ignition scenario, we have introduced 1-D hydrodynamic simulation code ILESTA-1D and carried out implosion simulations. Since the code is one-dimensional, the detailed physics process of fast heating cannot be reproduced. Thus the fast heating is reflected in the code as the additional artificial heating source in the energy equation. It is modeled as a homogeneous heating of electrons in core region at the time just before when the maximum compression is achieved. At present we obtained the pellet gain G∝100 with the same input energy as the above estimation by a simple point model (350kJ for implosion, 50kJ for heating and assuming 20% coupling of heating laser). A dry wall is exposed to several threats due to the cyclic load by the high energy X-ray and charged particles: surface melting, physical and chemical sputtering
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Azechi, H.; Fujimoto, Y.; Fujioka, S.
2012-11-01
Controlled thermonuclear ignition and subsequent burn will be demonstrated in a couple of years on the central ignition scheme. Fast ignition has the high potential to ignite a fuel using only about one tenth of laser energy necessary to the central ignition. This compactness may largely accelerate inertial fusion energy development. One of the most advanced fast ignition programs is the Fast Ignition Realization Experiment (FIREX). The goal of its first phase is to demonstrate ignition temperature of 5 keV, followed by the second phase to demonstrate ignition-and-burn. The second series experiment of FIREX-I from late 2010 to early 2011 has demonstrated a high (≈20%) coupling efficiency from laser to thermal energy of the compressed core, suggesting that one can achieve the ignition temperature at the laser energy below 10 kJ. Given the demonstrations of the ignition temperature at FIREX-I and the ignition-and-burn at the National Ignition Facility, the inertial fusion research would then shift from the plasma physics era to power generation era. (author)
Fast ignition: Physics progress in the US fusion energy program and prospects for achieving ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Key, M.; Andersen, C.; Cowan, T.
2003-01-01
Fast ignition (FI) has significant potential advantages for inertial fusion energy and it is therefore being studied as an exploratory concept in the US fusion energy program. FI is based on short pulse isochoric heating of pre-compressed DT by intense beams of laser accelerated MeV electrons or protons. Recent experimental progress in the study of these two heating processes is discussed. The goal is to benchmark new models in order to predict accurately the requirements for full-scale fast ignition. An overview is presented of the design and experimental testing of a cone target implosion concept for fast ignition. Future prospects and conceptual designs for larger scale FI experiments using planned high energy petawatt upgrades of major lasers in the US are outlined. A long-term road map for FI is defined. (author)
Conceptual design of a fast-ignition laser fusion reactor based on a dry wall chamber
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ogawa, Y; Goto, T; Okano, K; Asaoka, Y; Hiwatari, R; Someya, Y
2008-01-01
The fast ignition is quite attractive for a compact laser fusion reactor, because a sufficiently high pellet gain is available with a small input energy. We designed an inertial fusion reactor based on Fast-ignition Advanced Laser fusion reactor CONcept, called FALCON-D, where a dry wall is employed for a chamber wall. A simple point model shows that the pellet gain G∼100 is available with laser energies of 350kJ for implosion, 50kJ for heating. This results in the fusion yield of 40 MJ in one shot. By increasing the repetition rate up to 30 Hz, the fusion power of 1.2 GWth becomes available. Plant system analysis shows the net electric power to be about 0.4 GWe In the fast ignition it is available to employ a low aspect ratio pellet, which is favorable for the stability during the implosion phase. Here the pellet aspect ratio is reduced to be 2 ∼ 4, and the optimization of the pulse shape for the implosion laser are carried out by using the 1-D hydrodynamic simulation code ILESTA-1D. A ferritic steel with a tungsten armour is employed for the chamber wall. The feasibility of this dry wall concept is studied from various engineering aspects such as surface melting, physical and chemical sputtering, blistering and exfoliation by helium retention, and thermo-mechanical fatigue, and it is found that blistering and exfoliation due to the helium retention and fatigue failure due to cyclic thermal load are major concerns. The cost analysis shows that the construction cost is moderate but the cost of electricity is slightly expensive
Conceptual design of a fast-ignition laser fusion reactor based on a dry wall chamber
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Ogawa, Y [High Temperature Plasma Center, University of Tokyo, Chiba (Japan); Goto, T; Okano, K [Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, Chiba (Japan); Asaoka, Y; Hiwatari, R [Central Research Institute for Electric Power Industry, Komae, Tokyo (Japan); Someya, Y [Graduate School of Engineering, Musashi Institute of Technology, Tokyo (Japan)], E-mail: ogawa@ppl.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp
2008-05-15
The fast ignition is quite attractive for a compact laser fusion reactor, because a sufficiently high pellet gain is available with a small input energy. We designed an inertial fusion reactor based on Fast-ignition Advanced Laser fusion reactor CONcept, called FALCON-D, where a dry wall is employed for a chamber wall. A simple point model shows that the pellet gain G{approx}100 is available with laser energies of 350kJ for implosion, 50kJ for heating. This results in the fusion yield of 40 MJ in one shot. By increasing the repetition rate up to 30 Hz, the fusion power of 1.2 GWth becomes available. Plant system analysis shows the net electric power to be about 0.4 GWe In the fast ignition it is available to employ a low aspect ratio pellet, which is favorable for the stability during the implosion phase. Here the pellet aspect ratio is reduced to be 2 {approx} 4, and the optimization of the pulse shape for the implosion laser are carried out by using the 1-D hydrodynamic simulation code ILESTA-1D. A ferritic steel with a tungsten armour is employed for the chamber wall. The feasibility of this dry wall concept is studied from various engineering aspects such as surface melting, physical and chemical sputtering, blistering and exfoliation by helium retention, and thermo-mechanical fatigue, and it is found that blistering and exfoliation due to the helium retention and fatigue failure due to cyclic thermal load are major concerns. The cost analysis shows that the construction cost is moderate but the cost of electricity is slightly expensive.
Conceptual design of a fast-ignition laser fusion reactor based on a dry wall chamber
Ogawa, Y.; Goto, T.; Okano, K.; Asaoka, Y.; Hiwatari, R.; Someya, Y.
2008-05-01
The fast ignition is quite attractive for a compact laser fusion reactor, because a sufficiently high pellet gain is available with a small input energy. We designed an inertial fusion reactor based on Fast-ignition Advanced Laser fusion reactor CONcept, called FALCON-D, where a dry wall is employed for a chamber wall. A simple point model shows that the pellet gain G~100 is available with laser energies of 350kJ for implosion, 50kJ for heating. This results in the fusion yield of 40 MJ in one shot. By increasing the repetition rate up to 30 Hz, the fusion power of 1.2 GWth becomes available. Plant system analysis shows the net electric power to be about 0.4 GWe In the fast ignition it is available to employ a low aspect ratio pellet, which is favorable for the stability during the implosion phase. Here the pellet aspect ratio is reduced to be 2 ~ 4, and the optimization of the pulse shape for the implosion laser are carried out by using the 1-D hydrodynamic simulation code ILESTA-1D. A ferritic steel with a tungsten armour is employed for the chamber wall. The feasibility of this dry wall concept is studied from various engineering aspects such as surface melting, physical and chemical sputtering, blistering and exfoliation by helium retention, and thermo-mechanical fatigue, and it is found that blistering and exfoliation due to the helium retention and fatigue failure due to cyclic thermal load are major concerns. The cost analysis shows that the construction cost is moderate but the cost of electricity is slightly expensive.
Developing the Physics Basis of Fast Ignition Experiments at Future Large Fusion-class lasers
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mackinnon, A J; Key, M H; Hatchett, S; MacPhee, A G; Foord, M; Tabak, M; Town, R J; Patel, P K
2008-01-01
The Fast Ignition (FI) concept for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) has the potential to provide a significant advance in the technical attractiveness of Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) reactors. FI differs from conventional 'central hot spot' (CHS) target ignition by using one driver (laser, heavy ion beam or Z-pinch) to create a dense fuel and a separate ultra-short, ultra-intense laser beam to ignite the dense core. FI targets can burn with ∼ 3X lower density fuel than CHS targets, resulting in (all other things being equal) lower required compression energy, relaxed drive symmetry, relaxed target smoothness tolerances, and, importantly, higher gain. The short, intense ignition pulse that drives this process interacts with extremely high energy density plasmas; the physics that controls this interaction is only now becoming accessible in the lab, and is still not well understood. The attraction of obtaining higher gains in smaller facilities has led to a worldwide explosion of effort in the studies of FI. In particular, two new US facilities to be completed in 2009/2010, OMEGA/OMEGA EP and NIF-ARC (as well as others overseas) will include FI investigations as part of their program. These new facilities will be able to approach FI conditions much more closely than heretofore using direct drive (dd) for OMEGA/OMEGA EP and indirect drive (id) for NIF-ARC. This LDRD has provided the physics basis for the development of the detailed design for integrated Fast ignition experiments on these facilities on the 2010/2011 timescale. A strategic initiative LDRD has now been formed to carry out integrated experiments using NIF ARC beams to heat a full scale FI assembled core by the end of 2010
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Miley, George H.
2012-01-01
Fast Ignition (FI) uses Petawatt laser generated particle beam pulse to ignite a small volume called a pre-compressed Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) target, and is the favored method to achieve the high energy gain per target burn needed for an attractive ICF power plant. Ion beams such as protons, deuterons or heavier carbon ions are especially appealing for FI as they have relative straight trajectory, and easier to focus on the fuel capsule. But current experiments have encountered problems with the 'converter-foil' which is irradiated by the Petawatt laser to produce the ion beams. The problems include depletion of the available ions in the convertor foils, and poor energy efficiency (ion beam energy/ input laser energy). We proposed to develop a volumetrically-loaded ultra-high-density deuteron deuterium cluster material as the basis for converter-foil for deuteron beam generation. The deuterons will fuse with the ICF DT while they slow down, providing an extra 'bonus' energy gain in addition to heating the hot spot. Also, due to the volumetric loading, the foil will provide sufficient energetic deuteron beam flux for 'hot spot' ignition, while avoiding the depletion problem encountered by current proton-driven FI foils. After extensive comparative studies, in Phase I, high purity PdO/Pd/PdO foils were selected for the high packing fraction D-Cluster converter foils. An optimized loading process has been developed to increase the cluster packing fraction in this type of foil. As a result, the packing fraction has been increased from 0.1% to 10% - meeting the original Phase I goal and representing a significant progress towards the beam intensities needed for both FI and pulsed neutron applications. Fast Ignition provides a promising approach to achieve high energy gain target performance needed for commercial Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). This is now a realistic goal for near term in view of the anticipated ICF target burn at the National Ignition
Fast ignition studies at Osaka University
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tanaka, K. A.
2007-01-01
After the invention of the chirped pulse amplification technique [1], the extreme conditions of matters have become available in laboratory spaces and can be studied with the use of ultra intense laser pulse (UILP) with a high energy. One such example is the fast ignition [2] where UILP is used to heat a highly compressed fusion fuel core within 1-10 pico-seconds before the core disassembles. It is predicted possible with use of 50-100 kJ lasers for both imploding the fuel and heating [2] to attain a large fusion gain. Fast ignition was shown to be a promising new scheme for laser fusion [3] with a PW (= 10 1 5 W) UILP and GEKKO XII laser systems at Osaka. Many new physics have been found with use of UILP in a relativistic parameter regime during the process of the fast ignition studies. UILP can penetrate into over-dense plasma for a couple hundred microns distance with a self-focusing and relativistic transparency effects. Hot electrons of 1-100 MeV can be easily created and are under studies for its spectral and emission angle controls. Strong magnetic fields of 10's of MGauss are created to guide these hot electrons along the target surface [4]. Based on these results, a new and largest UILP laser machine of 10 kJ energy at PW UILP peak power is under construction to test if we can achieve the sub-ignition fusion condition at Osaka University. The machine requires challenging optical technologies such as large size (0.9 m) gratings, tiling these gratings for UILP compression; segmenting four large UILP beams to obtain diffraction limited focal spot. We would like to over-view all of these activities. References [1]D. STRICKLAND and G. MOUROU, Opt. Commun., 56, 219 (1985) [2] S. ATZENI et al., Phys Plasmas, 6, 3316 (1999) [3] R. KODAMA, K.A. TANAKA et al., Nature, 418, 933 (2002) [4] A.L. LEI, K.A. TANAKA et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 96, 255006(2006) ; H. HABARA, K.A. TANAKA et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 97, 095004 (2006)
Flash Kα radiography of laser-driven solid sphere compression for fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sawada, H.; Lee, S.; Nagatomo, H.; Arikawa, Y.; Nishimura, H.; Ueda, T.; Shigemori, K.; Fujioka, S.; Shiroto, T.; Ohnishi, N.; Sunahara, A.; Beg, F. N.; Theobald, W.; Pérez, F.; Patel, P. K.
2016-01-01
Time-resolved compression of a laser-driven solid deuterated plastic sphere with a cone was measured with flash Kα x-ray radiography. A spherically converging shockwave launched by nanosecond GEKKO XII beams was used for compression while a flash of 4.51 keV Ti Kα x-ray backlighter was produced by a high-intensity, picosecond laser LFEX (Laser for Fast ignition EXperiment) near peak compression for radiography. Areal densities of the compressed core were inferred from two-dimensional backlit x-ray images recorded with a narrow-band spherical crystal imager. The maximum areal density in the experiment was estimated to be 87 ± 26 mg/cm"2. The temporal evolution of the experimental and simulated areal densities with a 2-D radiation-hydrodynamics code is in good agreement.
Flash Kα radiography of laser-driven solid sphere compression for fast ignition
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Sawada, H. [Department of Physics, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557 (United States); Lee, S.; Nagatomo, H.; Arikawa, Y.; Nishimura, H.; Ueda, T.; Shigemori, K.; Fujioka, S. [Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka (Japan); Shiroto, T.; Ohnishi, N. [Department of Aerospace Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi (Japan); Sunahara, A. [Institute of Laser Technology, Nishi-ku, Osaka (Japan); Beg, F. N. [University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States); Theobald, W. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Pérez, F. [LULI, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, Cedex (France); Patel, P. K. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)
2016-06-20
Time-resolved compression of a laser-driven solid deuterated plastic sphere with a cone was measured with flash Kα x-ray radiography. A spherically converging shockwave launched by nanosecond GEKKO XII beams was used for compression while a flash of 4.51 keV Ti Kα x-ray backlighter was produced by a high-intensity, picosecond laser LFEX (Laser for Fast ignition EXperiment) near peak compression for radiography. Areal densities of the compressed core were inferred from two-dimensional backlit x-ray images recorded with a narrow-band spherical crystal imager. The maximum areal density in the experiment was estimated to be 87 ± 26 mg/cm{sup 2}. The temporal evolution of the experimental and simulated areal densities with a 2-D radiation-hydrodynamics code is in good agreement.
Opportunities for Integrated Fast Ignition program
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mackinnon, A. J.; Key, M. H.; Hatchett, S. P.; Tabak, M.; Town, R.; Gregori, G.; Patel, P. K.; Snavely, R.; Freeman, R. R.; Stephens, R. B.; Beg, F.
2005-01-01
Experiments designed to investigate the physics of particle transport and heating of dense plasmas have been carried out in an number of facilities around the world since the publication of the fast ignition concept in 1997. To date a number of integrated experiments, examining the capsule implosion and subsequent heating have been carried out on the Gekko facility at the Institute of Laser Engineering (ILE) Osaka, Japan. The coupling of energy by the short pulse into the pre-compressed core in these experiments was very encouraging. More facilities capable of carrying out integrated experiments are currently under construction: Firex at ILEm the Omega EP facility at the University of Rochester, Z PW at Sandia National Lab, LIL in France and eventually high energy PW beams on the NIF. This presentation will review the current status of experiments in this area and discuss the capabilities of integrated fast ignition research that will be required to design the proof of principle and scaling experiments for fast ignition to be carried on the NIF. (Author)
Features of a point design for Fast Ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tabak, M; Clark, D; Town, R P J; Key, M H; Amendt, P; Ho, D; Meeker, D J; Shay, H D; Lasinski, B F; Kemp, A; Divol, L; Mackinnon, A J; Patel, P; Strozzi, D; Grote, D P
2010-01-01
Fast Ignition is an inertial fusion scheme in which fuel is first assembled and then heated to the ignition temperature with an external heating source. In this note we consider cone and shell implosions where the energy supplied by short pulse lasers is transported to the fuel by electrons. We describe possible failure modes for this scheme and how to overcome them. In particular, we describe two sources of cone tip failure, an axis jet driven from the compressed fuel mass and hard photon preheat leaking through the implosion shell, and laser prepulse that can change the position of laser absorption and the angular distribution of the emitted electrons.
Features of a point design for fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tabak, M.; Clark, D.; Town, R.J.; Key, M.H.; Amendt, P.; Ho, D.; Meeker, D.J.; Shay, H.D.; Lasinski, B.F.; Kemp, A.; Divol, L.; Mackinnon, A.J.; Patel, P.; Strozzi, D.; Grote, D.P.
2009-01-01
Fast Ignition is an inertial fusion scheme in which fuel is first assembled and then heated to the ignition temperature with an external heating source. In this note we consider cone and shell implosions where the energy supplied by short pulse lasers is transported to the fuel by electrons. We describe possible failure modes for this scheme and how to overcome them. In particular, we describe two sources of cone tip failure, an axis jet driven from the compressed fuel mass and hard photon preheat leaking through the implosion shell, and laser prepulse that can change the position of laser absorption and the angular distribution of the emitted electrons.
Enhanced hole boring with two-color relativistic laser pulses in the fast ignition scheme
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Yu, Changhai; Tian, Ye; Li, Wentao; Wang, Wentao; Zhang, Zhijun; Qi, Rong; Wang, Cheng [State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800 (China); Deng, Aihua, E-mail: aihuadeng1985@gmail.com [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095 (United States); Liu, Jiansheng, E-mail: michaeljs-liu@siom.ac.cn [State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA (CICIFSA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China)
2016-08-15
A scheme of using two-color laser pulses for hole boring into overdense plasma as well as energy transfer into electron and ion beams has been studied using particle-in-cell simulations. Following an ultra-short ultra-intense hole-boring laser pulse with a short central wavelength in extreme ultra-violet range, the main infrared driving laser pulse can be guided in the hollow channel preformed by the former laser and propagate much deeper into an overdense plasma, as compared to the case using the infrared laser only. In addition to efficiently transferring the main driving laser energy into energetic electrons and ions generation deep inside the overdense plasma, the ion beam divergence can be greatly reduced. The results might be beneficial for the fast ignition concept of inertial confinement fusion.
Non-dimensional scaling of impact fast ignition experiments
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Farley, D R; Shigemori, K; Murakami, M; Azechi, H
2008-01-01
Recent experiments at the Osaka University Institute for Laser Engineering (ILE) showed that 'Impact Fast Ignition' (IFI) could increase the neutron yield of inertial fusion targets by two orders of magnitude [1]. IFI utilizes the thermal and kinetic energy of a laser-accelerated disk to impact an imploded fusion target. ILE researchers estimate a disk velocity of 10 8 cm/sec is needed to ignite the fusion target [2]. To be able to study the IFI concept using lasers different from that at ILE, appropriate non-dimensionalization of the flow should be done. Analysis of the rocket equation gives parameters needed for producing similar IFI results with different lasers. This analysis shows that a variety of laboratory-scale commercial lasers could produce results useful to full-scale ILE experiments
FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF FAST IGNITION TARGETS
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
HILL, D.W; CASTILLO, E; CHEN, K.C; GRANT, S.E; GREENWOOD, A.L; KAAE, J.L; NIKROO, A; PAGUIO, S.P; SHEARER, C; SMITH, J.N Jr.; STEPHENS, R.B; STEINMAN, D.A; WALL, J.
2003-09-01
OAK-B135 Fast ignition is a novel scheme for achieving laser fusion. A class of these targets involves cone mounted CH shells. The authors have been fabricating such targets with shells with a wide variety of diameters and wall thicknesses for several years at General Atomics. In addition, recently such shells were needed for implosion experiments at Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) that for the first time were required to be gas retentive. Fabrication of these targets requires producing appropriate cones and shells, assembling the targets, and characterization of the assembled targets. The cones are produced using micromachining and plating techniques. The shells are fabricated using the depolymerizable mandrel technique followed by micromachining a hole for the cone. The cone and the shell then need to be assembled properly for gas retention and precisely in order to position the cone tip at the desired position within the shell. Both are critical for the fast ignition experiments. The presence of the cone in the shell creates new challenges in characterization of the assembled targets. Finally, for targets requiring a gas fill, the cone-shell assembly needs to be tested for gas retention and proper strength at the glue joint. This paper presents an overview of the developmental efforts and technical issues addressed during the fabrication of fast ignition targets
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tanaka, K.A.; Kodama, R.; Izumi, N.; Takahashi, K.; Heya, M.; Fujita, H.; Kato, Y.; Kitagawa, Y.; Mima, K.; Miyanaga, N.; Norimatsu, T.; Sentoku, Y.; Sunahara, A.; Takabe, H.; Yamanaka, T.; Koase, T.; Iwatani, T.; Ohtani, F.; Miyakoshi, T.; Habara, H.; Tanpo, M.; Tohyama, S.; Weber, F.A.; Barbee, T.W.; Dasilva, L.B.; Dasilva, L.B.
2000-01-01
At the Institute of Laser Engineering, various type of experiments related to fast ignition were performed with the 12-beam laser system GEKKO XII and the newly added 100 TW beams line. Using both X-ray and UV laser probes, drilling via ponderomotive laser light self-focusing was studied to show drilling well into the overdense plasma over a distance of 100 μm at a self-focused laser intensity of 10 18 W/cm 2 . This type of self-focusing accelerated electrons up to 0.1 to 1 MeV and was also applied to an imploding shell. (authors)
Cone-guided fast ignition with no imposed magnetic fields
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Strozzi D.
2013-11-01
Full Text Available Simulations are presented of ignition-scale fast ignition targets with the integrated Zuma-Hydra PIC-hydrodynamic capability. We consider a spherical DT fuel assembly with a carbon cone, and an artificially-collimated fast electron source. We study the role of E and B fields and the fast electron energy spectrum. For mono-energetic 1.5 MeV fast electrons, without E and B fields, ignition can be achieved with fast electron energy Efig = 30kJ. This is 3.5× the minimal deposited ignition energy of 8.7 kJ for our fuel density of 450 g/cm3. Including E and B fields with the resistive Ohm's law E = ηJb gives Efig = 20kJ, while using the full Ohm's law gives Efig > 40 kJ. This is due to magnetic self-guiding in the former case, and ∇n ×∇T magnetic fields in the latter. Using a realistic, quasi two-temperature energy spectrum derived from PIC laser-plasma simulations increases Efig to (102, 81, 162 kJ for (no E/B, E = ηJb, full Ohm's law. Such electrons are too energetic to stop in the optimal hot spot depth.
Research on imploded plasma heating by short pulse laser for fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kodama, R.; Kitagawa, Y.; Mima, K.
2001-01-01
Since the peta watt module (PWM) laser was constructed in 1995, investigated are heating processes of imploded plasmas by intense short pulse lasers. In order to heat the dense plasma locally, a heating laser pulse should be guided into compressed plasmas as deeply as possible. Since the last IAEA Fusion Conference, the feasibility of fast ignition has been investigated by using the short pulse GEKKO MII glass laser and the PWM laser with GEKKO XII laser. We found that relativistic electrons are generated efficiently in a preformed plasma to heat dense plasmas. The coupling efficiency of short pulse laser energy to a solid density plasma is 40% when no plasmas are pre-formed, and 20% when a large scale plasma is formed by a long pulse laser pre-irradiation. The experimental results are confirmed by numerical simulations using the simulation code 'MONET' which stands for the Monte-Carlo Electron Transport code developed at Osaka. In the GEKKO XII and PWM laser experiments, intense heating pulses are injected into imploded plasmas. As a result of the injection of heating pulse, it is found that high energy electrons and ions could penetrate into imploded core plasmas to enhance neutron yield by factor 3∼5. (author)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Huang, Chenkun; Albright, Brian J.
2010-01-01
Mid-Z ion driven fast ignition inertial fusion requires ion beams of 100s of MeV energy and < 10% energy spread. An overdense run-scale foil target driven by a high intensity laser pulse can produce an ion beam that has attractive properties for this application. The Break Out Afterburner (BOA) is one laser-ion acceleration mechanism proposed to generate such beams, however the late stages of the BOA tend to produce too large of an energy spread. The spectral and spatial qualities of the beam quickly evolve as the ion beam and co-moving electrons continue to interact with the laser. Here we show how use of a second target foil placed behind a nm-scale foil can substantially reduce the temperature of the co-moving electrons and improve the ion beam energy spread. Particle-In-Cell simulations reveal the dynamics of the ion beam under control. Optimal conditions for improving the spectral and spatial spread of the ion beam is explored for current laser and target parameters, leading to generation of ion beams of energy 100s of MeV and 6% energy spread, a vital step for realizing ion-driven fast ignition.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pisani, F.
2000-02-01
In the fast igniter scheme, a recent approach proposed for the inertial confinement fusion, the idea is to dissociate the fuel ignition phase from its compression. The ignition phase would be then achieved by means of an external energy source: a fast electron beam generated by the interaction with an ultra-intense laser. The main goal of this work is to study the mechanisms of the hot electron energy transfer to the compressed fuel. We intent in particular to study the role of the electric and collisional effects involved in the hot electron propagation in a medium with properties similar to the compressed fuel. We carried out two experiments, one at the Vulcan laser facility (England) and the second one at the new LULI 100 TW laser (France). During the first experiment, we obtained the first results on the hot electron propagation in a dense and hot plasma. The innovating aspect of this work was in particular the use of the laser-shock technique to generate high pressures, allowing the strongly correlated and degenerated plasma to be created. The role of the electric and magnetic effects due to the space charge associated with the fast electron beam has been investigated in the second experiment. Here we studied the propagation in materials with different electrical characteristics: an insulator and a conductor. The analysis of the results showed that only by taking into account simultaneously the two propagation mechanisms (collisions and electric effects) a correct treatment of the energy deposition is possible. We also showed the importance of taking into account the induced modifications due to the electrons beam crossing the target, especially the induced heating. (author)
Fast ignition schemes for inertial confinement fusion
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Deutsch, C.
2003-01-01
The controlled production of a local hot spot in super-compressed deuterium + tritium fuel is examined in details. Relativistic electron beams (REB) in the MeV and proton beams in the few tens MeV energy range produced by PW-lasers are respectively considered. A strong emphasis is given to the propagation issues due to large density gradients in the outer core of compressed fuel. A specific attention is also paid to the final and complete particle stopping resulting in hot spot generation as well as to the interplay of collective vs. particle stopping at the entrance channel on the low density side in plasma target. Moreover, REB production and fast acceleration mechanisms are also given their due attention. Proton fast ignition looks promising as well as the wedged (cone angle) approach circumventing most of transport uncertainties between critical layer and hot spot. Global engineering perspectives for fast ignition scenario (FIS) driven inertial confinement fusion are also detailed. (author)
Laser ignitibility of insensitive secondary explosive 1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethene (FOX-7)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Fang, Xiao; McLuckie, Warren G
2015-01-01
Highlights: • Carbon black (CB) is an efficient optical sensitizer compatible with 1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethene (FOX-7). • A CB doped insensitive explosive FOX-7 can be ignited by a low-power diode laser. • Laser ignitibility of the optically sensitized FOX-7 is mainly affected by laser power among the other parameters. • Inhomogeneities in the explosive affect laser ignition reliability. - Abstract: An experimental investigation into laser ignitibility of insensitive secondary explosives, 1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethene (FOX-7) has been carried out, using a diode laser of continuous wave at the laser wavelength of 974 nm. The direct optical ignition of an insensitive explosive will add more safety features to insensitive munitions (IM) or explosive devices. In this study, effects of laser parameters on the ignitibility were analysed in terms of laser ignition threshold, the times to initiate the ignition and full combustion, and burning sustainability. The results have shown that carbon black (CB) as an optical sensitizer is compatible with FOX-7, and significantly enhances laser ignitibility of the explosive when a small amount of CB is uniformly doped in FOX-7. The delay times for ignition and subsequent development of sustainable burning of the material are mainly determined by ignition laser power, although the other laser parameters have effects. The minimum laser power required to ignite the optically sensitized FOX-7 was found below 10 W and a fast ignition was initiated in as short as 70 μs by a laser power of 40 W. Also the effect of the mixture uniformity of FOX-7/CB on laser ignition performance was evaluated in this study
Scaling of energy deposition in fast ignition targets
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Welch, Dale R.; Slutz, Stephen A.; Mehlhorn, Thomas Alan; Campbell, Robert B.
2005-01-01
We examine the scaling to ignition of the energy deposition of laser generated electrons in compressed fast ignition cores. Relevant cores have densities of several hundred g/cm 3 , with a few keV initial temperature. As the laser intensities increase approaching ignition systems, on the order of a few 10 21 W/cm 2 , the hot electron energies expected to approach 100MeV. Most certainly anomalous processes must play a role in the energy transfer, but the exact nature of these processes, as well as a practical way to model them, remain open issues. Traditional PIC explicit methods are limited to low densities on current and anticipated computing platforms, so the study of relevant parameter ranges has received so far little attention. We use LSP to examine a relativistic electron beam (presumed generated from a laser plasma interaction) of legislated energy and angular distribution is injected into a 3D block of compressed DT. Collective effects will determine the stopping, most likely driven by magnetic field filamentation. The scaling of the stopping as a function of block density and temperature, as well as hot electron current and laser intensity is presented. Sub-grid models may be profitably used and degenerate effects included in the solution of this problem.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kozaki, Yasuji; Norimatsu, Takayoshi; Furukawa, Hiroyuki; Hayashi, Takumi; Souman, Yoshihito; Nishikawa, Masabumi; Tomabechi, Ken
2007-01-01
A conceptual design of the reactor chamber system with LiPb liquid wall based on the fast ignition cone target design and the related reactor systems with exhaust system, laser beam shutter, blanket and cooling system are summarized. The multi overflow fall method was investigated as the structure of chamber and repeating 4 Hz pulse potential. The ablation depth of LiPb liquid wall was estimated and the conditions of repeat of operation were evaluated. The basic design of chamber, selection and conditions of liquid wall chamber, recycle type multi overflow fall (MOF) wall, LiPb two layers blanket structure, basic specification of reactor system, laser beam line shutter, design of chamber exhaust system, cooling system, tritium recovery system, power plant total design and arrangement of chamber and laser beam, and issues are stated. (S.Y.)
Advanced Concept Exploration for Fast Ignition Science Program, Final Report
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Stephens, Richard Burnite [General Atomics; McLean, Harry M. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Theobald, Wolfgang [Laboratory for Laser Energetics; Akli, Kramer U. [The Ohio State University; Beg, Farhat N. [University of California, San Diego; Sentoku, Yasuhiko [University of Nevada, Reno; Schumacher, Douglass W. [The Ohio State University; Wei, Mingsheng [General Atomics
2013-09-04
The Fast Ignition (FI) Concept for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) has the potential to provide a significant advance in the technical attractiveness of Inertial Fusion Energy reactors. FI differs from conventional “central hot spot” (CHS) target ignition by decoupling compression from heating: using a laser (or heavy ion beam or Z pinch) drive pulse (10’s of nanoseconds) to create a dense fuel and a second, much shorter (~10 picoseconds) high intensity pulse to ignite a small volume within the dense fuel. The physics of fast ignition process was the focus of our Advanced Concept Exploration (ACE) program. Ignition depends critically on two major issues involving Relativistic High Energy Density (RHED) physics: The laser-induced creation of fast electrons and their propagation in high-density plasmas. Our program has developed new experimental platforms, diagnostic packages, computer modeling analyses, and taken advantage of the increasing energy available at laser facilities to advance understanding of the fundamental physics underlying these issues. Our program had three thrust areas: • Understand the production and characteristics of fast electrons resulting from FI relevant laser-plasma interactions and their dependence on laser prepulse and laser pulse length. • Investigate the subsequent fast electron transport in solid and through hot (FI-relevant) plasmas. • Conduct and understand integrated core-heating experiments by comparison to simulations. Over the whole period of this project (three years for this contract), we have greatly advanced our fundamental understanding of the underlying properties in all three areas: • Comprehensive studies on fast electron source characteristics have shown that they are controlled by the laser intensity distribution and the topology and plasma density gradient. Laser pre-pulse induced pre-plasma in front of a solid surface results in increased stand-off distances from the electron origin to the high density
Fujioka, Shinsuke; Arikawa, Yasunobu; Kojima, Sadaoki; Johzaki, Tomoyuki; Nagatomo, Hideo; Sawada, Hiroshi; Lee, Seung Ho; Shiroto, Takashi; Ohnishi, Naofumi; Morace, Alessio; Vaisseau, Xavier; Sakata, Shohei; Abe, Yuki; Matsuo, Kazuki; Farley Law, King Fai; Tosaki, Shota; Yogo, Akifumi; Shigemori, Keisuke; Hironaka, Yoichiro; Zhang, Zhe; Sunahara, Atsushi; Ozaki, Tetsuo; Sakagami, Hitoshi; Mima, Kunioki; Fujimoto, Yasushi; Yamanoi, Kohei; Norimatsu, Takayoshi; Tokita, Shigeki; Nakata, Yoshiki; Kawanaka, Junji; Jitsuno, Takahisa; Miyanaga, Noriaki; Nakai, Mitsuo; Nishimura, Hiroaki; Shiraga, Hiroyuki; Kondo, Kotaro; Bailly-Grandvaux, Mathieu; Bellei, Claudio; Santos, João Jorge; Azechi, Hiroshi
2016-05-01
A petawatt laser for fast ignition experiments (LFEX) laser system [N. Miyanaga et al., J. Phys. IV France 133, 81 (2006)], which is currently capable of delivering 2 kJ in a 1.5 ps pulse using 4 laser beams, has been constructed beside the GEKKO-XII laser facility for demonstrating efficient fast heating of a dense plasma up to the ignition temperature under the auspices of the Fast Ignition Realization EXperiment (FIREX) project [H. Azechi et al., Nucl. Fusion 49, 104024 (2009)]. In the FIREX experiment, a cone is attached to a spherical target containing a fuel to prevent a corona plasma from entering the path of the intense heating LFEX laser beams. The LFEX laser beams are focused at the tip of the cone to generate a relativistic electron beam (REB), which heats a dense fuel core generated by compression of a spherical deuterized plastic target induced by the GEKKO-XII laser beams. Recent studies indicate that the current heating efficiency is only 0.4%, and three requirements to achieve higher efficiency of the fast ignition (FI) scheme with the current GEKKO and LFEX systems have been identified: (i) reduction of the high energy tail of the REB; (ii) formation of a fuel core with high areal density using a limited number (twelve) of GEKKO-XII laser beams as well as a limited energy (4 kJ of 0.53-μm light in a 1.3 ns pulse); (iii) guiding and focusing of the REB to the fuel core. Laser-plasma interactions in a long-scale plasma generate electrons that are too energetic to efficiently heat the fuel core. Three actions were taken to meet the first requirement. First, the intensity contrast of the foot pulses to the main pulses of the LFEX was improved to >109. Second, a 5.5-mm-long cone was introduced to reduce pre-heating of the inner cone wall caused by illumination of the unconverted 1.053-μm light of implosion beam (GEKKO-XII). Third, the outside of the cone wall was coated with a 40-μm plastic layer to protect it from the pressure caused by imploding
Heavy ion fusion targets; issues for fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Bangerter, Roger O.
2014-01-01
During the last 36 years researchers have suggested and evaluated a large number of target designs for heavy ion inertial fusion. The different target designs can be classified according to their mode of ignition, their method of implosion, and their size. Ignition modes include hot-spot ignition and fast ignition. Methods of implosion include direct drive and indirect drive. Historically there has been significant work on indirectly driven targets with hot-spot ignition. Recently there has been increasing interest in directly driven targets with ion driven fast ignition. In principle, fast ignition might lead to improved target performance. On the other hand, fast ignition imposes stringent requirements on accelerators and beam physics. Furthermore, fast ignition magnifies the importance of a number of traditional target physics issues associated with ion beam energy deposition and fuel preheat. This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the various classes of targets. It will also discuss some issues that must be resolved to assess the feasibility of ion fast ignition
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Fujioka, Shinsuke, E-mail: sfujioka@ile.osaka-u.ac.jp; Arikawa, Yasunobu; Kojima, Sadaoki; Nagatomo, Hideo; Lee, Seung Ho; Morace, Alessio; Vaisseau, Xavier; Sakata, Shohei; Abe, Yuki; Matsuo, Kazuki; Farley Law, King Fai; Tosaki, Shota; Yogo, Akifumi; Shigemori, Keisuke; Hironaka, Yoichiro; Fujimoto, Yasushi; Yamanoi, Kohei; Norimatsu, Takayoshi; Tokita, Shigeki; Nakata, Yoshiki [Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, 2-6 Yamada-Oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 Japan (Japan); and others
2016-05-15
A petawatt laser for fast ignition experiments (LFEX) laser system [N. Miyanaga et al., J. Phys. IV France 133, 81 (2006)], which is currently capable of delivering 2 kJ in a 1.5 ps pulse using 4 laser beams, has been constructed beside the GEKKO-XII laser facility for demonstrating efficient fast heating of a dense plasma up to the ignition temperature under the auspices of the Fast Ignition Realization EXperiment (FIREX) project [H. Azechi et al., Nucl. Fusion 49, 104024 (2009)]. In the FIREX experiment, a cone is attached to a spherical target containing a fuel to prevent a corona plasma from entering the path of the intense heating LFEX laser beams. The LFEX laser beams are focused at the tip of the cone to generate a relativistic electron beam (REB), which heats a dense fuel core generated by compression of a spherical deuterized plastic target induced by the GEKKO-XII laser beams. Recent studies indicate that the current heating efficiency is only 0.4%, and three requirements to achieve higher efficiency of the fast ignition (FI) scheme with the current GEKKO and LFEX systems have been identified: (i) reduction of the high energy tail of the REB; (ii) formation of a fuel core with high areal density using a limited number (twelve) of GEKKO-XII laser beams as well as a limited energy (4 kJ of 0.53-μm light in a 1.3 ns pulse); (iii) guiding and focusing of the REB to the fuel core. Laser–plasma interactions in a long-scale plasma generate electrons that are too energetic to efficiently heat the fuel core. Three actions were taken to meet the first requirement. First, the intensity contrast of the foot pulses to the main pulses of the LFEX was improved to >10{sup 9}. Second, a 5.5-mm-long cone was introduced to reduce pre-heating of the inner cone wall caused by illumination of the unconverted 1.053-μm light of implosion beam (GEKKO-XII). Third, the outside of the cone wall was coated with a 40-μm plastic layer to protect it from the pressure caused
Studies on the robustness of shock-ignited laser fusion targets
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Atzeni, S; Schiavi, A; Marocchino, A
2011-01-01
Several aspects of the sensitivity of a shock-ignited inertial fusion target to variation of parameters and errors or imperfections are studied by means of one-dimensional and two-dimensional numerical simulations. The study refers to a simple all-DT target, initially proposed for fast ignition (Atzeni et al 2007 Phys. Plasmas 7 052702) and subsequently shown to be also suitable for shock ignition (Ribeyre et al 2009 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 51 015013). It is shown that the growth of both Richtmyer-Meshkov and Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) at the ablation front is reduced by laser pulses with an adiabat-shaping picket. An operating window for the parameters of the ignition laser spike is described; the threshold power depends on beam focusing and synchronization with the compression pulse. The time window for spike launch widens with beam power, while the minimum spike energy is independent of spike power. A large parametric scan indicates good tolerance (at the level of a few percent) to target mass and laser power errors. 2D simulations indicate that the strong igniting shock wave plays an important role in reducing deceleration-phase RTI growth. Instead, the high hot-spot convergence ratio (ratio of initial target radius to hot-spot radius at ignition) makes ignition highly sensitive to target mispositioning.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Atzeni, S
2009-01-01
A brief overview of the inertial fusion principles and schemes is presented. The bases for the laser driven ignition experiments programmed for the near future at the National Ignition Facility are outlined. These experiments adopt indirect-drive and aim at central ignition. The principles of alternate approaches, based on direct-drive and different routes to ignition (fast ignition and shock ignition) are also discussed. Gain curves are compared and discussed.
Studies into laser ignition of confined pyrotechnics
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Ahmad, S.R.; Russell, D.A. [Centre for Applied Laser Spectroscopy, DASSR, Defence Academy, Cranfield University, Shrivenham, Swindon (United Kingdom)
2008-10-15
Ignition tests were carried out on three different pyrotechnics using laser energy from the multimode output from an Ar-Ion laser (av) at 500 nm and a near-IR diode laser pigtailed to a fibre optic cable and operating at 808 nm. The pyrotechnics investigated were: G20 black powder, SR44 and SR371C. The confined ignition tests were conducted in a specially designed ignition chamber. Pyrotechnics were ignited by a free space beam entering the chamber through an industrial sapphire window in the case of the Ar-ion laser. For the NIR diode laser, fibre was ducted through a block into direct contact with the pyrotechnic. The Ar-Ion laser was chosen as this was found to ignite all three pyrotechnics in the unconfined condition. It also allowed for a direct comparison of confined/unconfined results to be made. The threshold laser flux densities to initiate reproducible ignitions at this wavelength were found to be between {proportional_to}12.7 and {proportional_to}0.16 kW cm{sup -2}. Plotted on the ignition maps are the laser flux densities versus the start of ignition times for the three confined pyrotechnics. It was found from these maps that the times for confined ignition were substantially lower than those obtained for unconfined ignition under similar experimental conditions. For the NIR diode laser flux densities varied between {proportional_to}6.8 and {proportional_to}0.2 kW cm{sup -2}. The minimum ignition times for the NIR diode laser for SR371C ({proportional_to}11.2 ms) and G20 ({proportional_to}17.1 ms) were faster than those achieved by the use of the Ar-ion laser. However, the minimum ignition time was shorter ({proportional_to}11.7 ms) with the Ar-ion laser for SR44. (Abstract Copyright [2008], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
Review: laser ignition for aerospace propulsion
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Steven A. O’Briant
2016-03-01
This paper aims to provide the reader an overview of advanced ignition methods, with an emphasis on laser ignition and its applications to aerospace propulsion. A comprehensive review of advanced ignition systems in aerospace applications is performed. This includes studies on gas turbine applications, ramjet and scramjet systems, and space and rocket applications. A brief overview of ignition and laser ignition phenomena is also provided in earlier sections of the report. Throughout the reading, research papers, which were presented at the 2nd Laser Ignition Conference in April 2014, are mentioned to indicate the vast array of projects that are currently being pursued.
Innovative ICF scheme-impact fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Murakami, M.; Nagatomo, H.; Sakaiya, T.; Karasik, M.; Gardner, J.; Bates, J.
2007-01-01
A totally new ignition scheme for ICF, impact fast ignition (IFI), is proposed [1], in which the compressed DT main fuel is to be ignited by impact collision of another fraction of separately imploded DT fuel, which is accelerated in the hollow conical target. Two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulation results in full geometry are presented, in which some key physical parameters for the impact shell dynamics such as 10 8 cm/s of the implosion velocity, 200- 300 g/cm 3 of the compressed density, and the converted temperature beyond 5 keV are demonstrated. As the first step toward the proof-of-principle of IFI, we have conducted preliminary experiments under the operation of GEKKO XII/HYPER laser system to achieve a hyper-velocity of the order of 108 cm/s. As a result we have observed a highest velocity, 6.5 x 10 7 cm/s, ever achieved. Furthermore, we have also done the first integrated experiments using the target and observed substantial amount of neutron yields. Reference: [1] M. Murakami and Nagatomo, Nucl. Instrum. Meth. Phys. Res. A 544(2005) 67
Sausage instabilities in electron current channels and the problem of fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Das, A.
2002-01-01
In the fast ignition concept of laser fusion, an intense picosecond laser pulse incident on an overdense pellet is absorbed by nonlinear mechanisms and gets converted into inward propagating fast electron currents. PIC simulations show that the return shielding currents due to cold plasma interact with the incoming currents and intense Weibel, tearing and coalescence instabilities take place, which organize the current into a few current channels. The stability of these current channels is thus a topic of great interest. We have carried out linear and nonlinear studies of 2 - dimensional sausage instabilities of a slab model of the current channels in the framework of electron magnetohydrodynamic fluid approximation. The analytic calculations and numerical simulations for some simple velocity profiles show the presence of linear instability driven by velocity shear. Nonlinear studies on the saturation of instabilities and their reaction back on the relaxation of the velocity profile have also been made. A discussion of the consequences of such EMHD turbulence induced relaxation and stopping of fast electrons, for the fast ignition concept will be presented. (author)
Relativistic laser channeling in plasmas for fast ignition
Lei, A. L.; Pukhov, A.; Kodama, R.; Yabuuchi, T.; Adumi, K.; Endo, K.; Freeman, R. R.; Habara, H.; Kitagawa, Y.; Kondo, K.; Kumar, G. R.; Matsuoka, T.; Mima, K.; Nagatomo, H.; Norimatsu, T.; Shorokhov, O.; Snavely, R.; Yang, X. Q.; Zheng, J.; Tanaka, K. A.
2007-12-01
We report an experimental observation suggesting plasma channel formation by focusing a relativistic laser pulse into a long-scale-length preformed plasma. The channel direction coincides with the laser axis. Laser light transmittance measurement indicates laser channeling into the high-density plasma with relativistic self-focusing. A three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation reproduces the plasma channel and reveals that the collimated hot-electron beam is generated along the laser axis in the laser channeling. These findings hold the promising possibility of fast heating a dense fuel plasma with a relativistic laser pulse.
Conceptual design of laser fusion reactor KOYO-fast
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tomabechi, K.; Kozaki, Y.; Norimatsu, T.
2006-01-01
A conceptual design of the laser fusion reactor KOYO-F based on the fast ignition scheme is reported including the target design, the laser system and the design for chamber. A Yb-YAG ceramic laser operated at 200 K is the primary candidate for the compression laser and an OPCPA (optical parametric chirped pulse amplification) system is the one for the ignition laser. The chamber is basically a wet wall type but the fire position is vertically off-set to simplify the protection scheme of the ceiling. The target consists of foam insulated, cryogenic DT shells with a LiPb, reentrant guide-cone. (authors)
Mori, Yoshitaka; Hanayama, Ryohei; Ishii, Katsuhiro; Kitagawa, Yoneyoshi; Sekine, Takashi; Takeuchi, Yasuki; Kurita, Takashi; Katoh, Yoshinori; Satoh, Nakahiro; Kurita, Norio; Kawashima, Toshiyuki; Komeda, Osamu; Hioki, Tatsumi; Motohiro, Tomoyoshi; Sunahara, Atsushi; Sentoku, Yasuhiko; Miura, Eisuke; Iwamoto, Akifumi; Sakagami, Hitoshi
2017-10-01
Fast ignition (FI) is a form of inertial confinement fusion in which the ignition step and the compression step are separate processes resulting in a reduction of the symmetry requirement for hot spot generation. One of the problems of FI so far are the accessibility of an ignition laser pulse into the assembled core in which the driver energy is converted into relativistic electrons produced in the laser-plasma interaction. We have experimentally demonstrated that a tailored-pulse-assembled core with a diameter of 70 μ m, originally a deuterated polystyrene spherical shell of 500 μ m diameter, is flashed by directly counter irradiating 0.8 J/110 fs laser pulses [Y. MORI et al., PRL 2016]. This result indicates that once the assembled core is squeezed into the target center, the heating lasers can access the core's; edges and deposit their energy into the core. In this talk, we will discuss the heating effects in relation to formation of the assembled core.
Ignition and fusion burn in fast ignition scheme
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Takabe, Hideaki
1998-01-01
The target physics of fast ignition is briefly reviewed by focusing on the ignition and fusion burn in the off-center ignition scheme. By the use of a two dimensional hydrodynamic code with an alpha heating process, the ignition condition is studied. It is shown that the ignition condition of the off-center ignition scheme coincides with that of the the central isochoric model. After the ignition, a nuclear burning wave is seen to burn the cold main fuel with a velocity of 2 - 3 x 10 8 cm/s. The spark energy required for the off-center ignition is 2 - 3 kJ or 10 - 15 kJ for the core density of 400 g/cm 3 or 200 g/cm 3 , respectively. It is demonstrated that a core gain of more than 2,000 is possible for a core energy of 100 kJ with a hot spark energy of 13 kJ. The requirement for the ignition region's heating time is also discussed by modeling a heating source in the 2-D code. (author)
High-Gain Shock Ignition on the National Ignition Facility
Perkins, L. J.; Lafortune, K.; Bailey, D.; Lambert, M.; MacKinnon, A.; Blackfield, D.; Comley, A.; Schurtz, G.; Ribeyre, X.; Lebel, E.; Casner, A.; Craxton, R. S.; Betti, R.; McKenty, P.; Anderson, K.; Theobald, W.; Schmitt, A.; Atzeni, S.; Schiavi, A.
2010-11-01
Shock ignition offers the possibility for a near-term test of high-gain ICF on the NIF at less than 1MJ drive energy and with day-1 laser hardware. We will summarize the status of target performance simulations, delineate the critical issues and describe the R&D program to be performed in order to test the potential of a shock-ignited target on NIF. In shock ignition, compressed fuel is separately ignited by a late-time laser-driven shock and, because capsule implosion velocities are significantly lower than those required for conventional hotpot ignition, simulations indicate that fusion energy gains of 60 may be achievable at laser energies around 0.5MJ. Like fast ignition, shock ignition offers high gain but requires only a single laser with less demanding timing and focusing requirements. Conventional symmetry and stability constraints apply, thus a key immediate step towards attempting shock ignition on NIF is to demonstrate adequacy of low-mode uniformity and shock symmetry under polar drive
Ignition parameters and early flame kernel development of laser-ignited combustible gas mixtures
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kopecek, H.; Wintner, E.; Ruedisser, D.; Iskra, K.; Neger, T.
2002-01-01
Full text: Laser induced breakdown of focused pulsed laser radiation, the subsequent plasma formation and thermalization offers a possibility of ignition of combustible gas mixtures free from electrode interferences, an arbitrary choice of the location within the medium and exact timing regardless of the degree of turbulence. The development and the decreasing costs of solid state laser technologies approach the pay-off for the higher complexity of such an ignition system due to several features unique to laser ignition. The feasability of laser ignition was demonstrated in an 1.5 MW(?) natural gas engine, and several investigations were performed to determine optimal ignition energies, focus shapes and laser wavelengths. The early flame kernel development was investigated by time resolved planar laser induced fluorescence of the OH-radical which occurs predominantly in the flame front. The flame front propagation showed typical features like toroidal initial flame development, flame front return and highly increased flame speed along the laser focus axis. (author)
Laser–plasma interactions for fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kemp, A.J.; Fiuza, F.; Patel, P.K.; Debayle, A.; Johzaki, T.; Mori, W.B.; Sentoku, Y.; Silva, L.O.
2014-01-01
In the electron-driven fast-ignition (FI) approach to inertial confinement fusion, petawatt laser pulses are required to generate MeV electrons that deposit several tens of kilojoules in the compressed core of an imploded DT shell. We review recent progress in the understanding of intense laser–plasma interactions (LPI) relevant to FI. Increases in computational and modelling capabilities, as well as algorithmic developments have led to enhancement in our ability to perform multi-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of LPI at relevant scales. We discuss the physics of the interaction in terms of laser absorption fraction, the laser-generated electron spectra, divergence, and their temporal evolution. Scaling with irradiation conditions such as laser intensity are considered, as well as the dependence on plasma parameters. Different numerical modelling approaches and configurations are addressed, providing an overview of the modelling capabilities and limitations. In addition, we discuss the comparison of simulation results with experimental observables. In particular, we address the question of surrogacy of today's experiments for the full-scale FI problem. (special topic)
Progress in Fast Ignition Studies with Electrons and Protons
MacKinnon, A. J.; Akli, K. U.; Bartal, T.; Beg, F. N.; Chawla, S.; Chen, C. D.; Chen, H.; Chen, S.; Chowdhury, E.; Fedosejevs, R.; Freeman, R. R.; Hey, D.; Higginson, D.; Key, M. H.; King, J. A.; Link, A.; Ma, T.; MacPhee, A. G.; Offermann, D.; Ovchinnikov, V.; Pasley, J.; Patel, P. K.; Ping, Y.; Schumacher, D. W.; Stephens, R. B.; Tsui, Y. Y.; Wei, M. S.; Van Woerkom, L. D.
2009-09-01
Isochoric heating of inertially confined fusion plasmas by laser driven MeV electrons or protons is an area of great topical interest in the inertial confinement fusion community, particularly with respect to the fast ignition (FI) concept for initiating burn in a fusion capsule. In order to investigate critical aspects needed for a FI point design, experiments were performed to study 1) laser-to-electrons or protons conversion issues and 2) laser-cone interactions including prepulse effects. A large suite of diagnostics was utilized to study these important parameters. Using cone—wire surrogate targets it is found that pre-pulse levels on medium scale lasers such as Titan at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory produce long scale length plasmas that strongly effect coupling of the laser to FI relevant electrons inside cones. The cone wall thickness also affects coupling to the wire. Conversion efficiency to protons has also been measured and modeled as a function of target thickness, material. Conclusions from the proton and electron source experiments will be presented. Recent advances in modeling electron transport and innovative target designs for reducing igniter energy and increasing gain curves will also be discussed. In conclusion, a program of study will be presented based on understanding the fundamental physics of the electron or proton source relevant to FI.
Laser spark distribution and ignition system
Woodruff, Steven [Morgantown, WV; McIntyre, Dustin L [Morgantown, WV
2008-09-02
A laser spark distribution and ignition system that reduces the high power optical requirements for use in a laser ignition and distribution system allowing for the use of optical fibers for delivering the low peak energy pumping pulses to a laser amplifier or laser oscillator. An optical distributor distributes and delivers optical pumping energy from an optical pumping source to multiple combustion chambers incorporating laser oscillators or laser amplifiers for inducing a laser spark within a combustion chamber. The optical distributor preferably includes a single rotating mirror or lens which deflects the optical pumping energy from the axis of rotation and into a plurality of distinct optical fibers each connected to a respective laser media or amplifier coupled to an associated combustion chamber. The laser spark generators preferably produce a high peak power laser spark, from a single low power pulse. The laser spark distribution and ignition system has application in natural gas fueled reciprocating engines, turbine combustors, explosives and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy diagnostic sensors.
Investigation of fusion gain in fast ignition with conical targets
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
MJ Tabatabaei
2011-03-01
Full Text Available Fast ignition is a new scheme for inertial confinement fusion (ICF. In this scheme, at first the interaction of ultraintense laser beam with the hohlraum wall surrounding a capsule containing deuterium-tritium (D-T fuel causes implosion and compression of fuel to high density and then laser produced protons penetrate in the compressed fuel and deposit their energy in it as the ignition hot spot is created. In this paper, following the energy gain of spherical target and considering relationship of the burn fraction to burn duration, we have obtained the energy gain of conical targets characterized by the angle β, and found a hemispherical capsule (β=π/2 has a gain as high as 96% of that of the whole spherical capsule. The results obtained in this study are qualitatively consistent with Atzeni et al.'s studies of simulations.
Integrated fast ignition simulation of cone-guided target with three codes
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Sakagami, H. [Hyogo Univ., Computer Engineering, Himeji, Hyogo (Japan); Johzaki, T.; Nagatomo, H.; Mima, K. [Osaka Univ., Institute of Laser Engineering, Suita, Osaka (Japan)
2004-07-01
It was reported that the fuel core was heated up to {approx} 0.8 keV in the fast ignition experiments with cone-guided targets, but they could not theoretically explain heating mechanisms and achievement of such high temperature. Thus simulations should play an important role in estimating the scheme performance, and we must simulate each phenomenon with individual codes and integrate them under the Fast Ignition Integrated Interconnecting code project. In the previous integrated simulations, fast electrons generated by the laser-plasma interaction were too hot to efficiently heat the core and we got only a 0.096 keV temperature rise. Including the density gap at the contact surface between the cone tip and the imploded plasma, the period of core heating became longer and the core was heated by 0.162 keV, about 69% higher increment compared with ignoring the density gap effect. (authors)
Laser-assisted homogeneous charge ignition in a constant volume combustion chamber
Srivastava, Dhananjay Kumar; Weinrotter, Martin; Kofler, Henrich; Agarwal, Avinash Kumar; Wintner, Ernst
2009-06-01
Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is a very promising future combustion concept for internal combustion engines. There are several technical difficulties associated with this concept, and precisely controlling the start of auto-ignition is the most prominent of them. In this paper, a novel concept to control the start of auto-ignition is presented. The concept is based on the fact that most HCCI engines are operated with high exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) rates in order to slow-down the fast combustion processes. Recirculated exhaust gas contains combustion products including moisture, which has a relative peak of the absorption coefficient around 3 μm. These water molecules absorb the incident erbium laser radiations ( λ=2.79 μm) and get heated up to expedite ignition. In the present experimental work, auto-ignition conditions are locally attained in an experimental constant volume combustion chamber under simulated EGR conditions. Taking advantage of this feature, the time when the mixture is thought to "auto-ignite" could be adjusted/controlled by the laser pulse width optimisation, followed by its resonant absorption by water molecules present in recirculated exhaust gas.
Study of fast electron generation using multi beam of LFEX-class laser
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hata, M; Nagatomo, H; Sakagami, H; Johzaki, T; Sentoku, Y
2016-01-01
Fast Ignition Realization Experiment project phase-I (FIREX-I) is being performed at Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University. In this project, the four-beam bundled high-energy Petawatt laser (LFEX) is being operated. LFEX laser provides great multi-beam irradiation flexibility, with the possibility of arrange the pulses in temporal sequence, spatially separate them in distinct spots of focus them in a single spot. In this paper, we study the two- beam interference effects on high-intensity picosecond laser-plasma interaction (LPI) by twodimensional relativistic Particle-In-Cell simulations. The interference causes surface perturbation, which enhances laser absorption and underdense plasma generation, increasing the accelerated electron number and their slope temperature. The laser-to-electron energy conversion efficiency for two-beam interference case is suitable for Fast Ignition (FI) compared to the single beam case, but the increment of fast electron divergence leads to lower energy coupling. To optimize the target design for FI, these interference effects should be taken into consideration. (paper)
Sausage instabilities in the electron current layer and its role in the concept of fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Das, Amita; Jain, Neeraj; Kaw, Predhiman; Sengupta, Sudip
2004-01-01
The fast ignition concept of laser fusion utilizes hot electrons produced at the surface of the target by an incident intense laser pulse for the creation of the hot spot for ignition. As the hot electrons move inwards to the core of the precompressed target, the electrons from the background plasma provide a return shielding current. Three dimensional PIC simulations have shown that intense Weibel, tearing and coalescence instabilities take place which organize the current distribution into a few current filaments. In each of these filaments the central core region constitutes a current due to the fast electrons propagating inwards towards the pellet core, while the outer cylindrical shell region carries the return shielding current. The presence of instabilities and their subsequent nonlinear development can hinder the propagation of fast electrons towards the core influencing the location of the hot spot for ignition. Earlier studies showing the existence of sausage-like modes were carried out in the nonrelativistic limit and under the assumption of equal electron densities of the fast and the cold electrons. The fast electron density, in general, differs considerably from the background plasma density as it is dependent on the incident laser intensity. This paper incorporates relativistic effects and also studies the dependence of the growth rate on the fast electron density. Finally, nonlinear saturation of the instability and its impact on the stopping of the fast electron motion towards the core have also been investigated using numerical simulations. The simulations have, however, currently been carried out for non-relativistic dynamics. The results show that the sheared velocity profile of the channel gets flattened, causing an effective drop in the inward moving current. (author)
Laser Ignition Microthruster Experiments on KKS-1
Nakano, Masakatsu; Koizumi, Hiroyuki; Watanabe, Masashi; Arakawa, Yoshihiro
A laser ignition microthruster has been developed for microsatellites. Thruster performances such as impulse and ignition probability were measured, using boron potassium nitrate (B/KNO3) solid propellant ignited by a 1 W CW laser diode. The measured impulses were 60 mNs ± 15 mNs with almost 100 % ignition probability. The effect of the mixture ratios of B/KNO3 on thruster performance was also investigated, and it was shown that mixture ratios between B/KNO3/binder = 28/70/2 and 38/60/2 exhibited both high ignition probability and high impulse. Laser ignition thrusters designed and fabricated based on these data became the first non-conventional microthrusters on the Kouku Kousen Satellite No. 1 (KKS-1) microsatellite that was launched by a H2A rocket as one of six piggyback satellites in January 2009.
Studies of electron and proton isochoric heating for fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mackinnon, A; Key, M; Akli, K; Beg, F; Clarke, R; Clarke, D; Chen, M; Chung, H; Chen, S; Freeman, R; Green, J; Gu, P; Gregori, G; Highbarger, K; Habara, H; Hatchett, S; Hey, D; Heathcote, R; Hill, J; King, J; Kodama, R; Koch, J; Lancaster, K; Langdon, B; Murphy, C; Norreys, P; Neely, D; Nakatsutsumi, M; Nakamura, H; Patel, N; Patel, P; Pasley, J; Snavley, R; Stephens, R; Stoeckl, C; Foord, M; Tabak, M; Theobald, W; Storm, M; Tanaka, K; Tempo, M; Toley, M; Town, R; Wilks, S; VanWoerkom, L; Weber, R; Yabuuchi, T; Zhang, B
2006-01-01
Isochoric heating of inertially confined fusion plasmas by laser driven MeV electrons or protons is an area of great topical interest in the inertial confinement fusion community, particularly with respect to the fast ignition (FI) proposal to use this technique to initiate burn in a fusion capsule. Experiments designed to investigate electron isochoric heating have measured heating in two limiting cases of interest to fast ignition, small planar foils and hollow cones. Data from Cu Kα fluorescence, crystal x-ray spectroscopy of Cu K shell emission, and XUV imaging at 68eV and 256 eV are used to test PIC and Hybrid PIC modeling of the interaction. Isochoric heating by focused proton beams generated at the concave inside surface of a hemi-shell and from a sub hemi-shell inside a cone have been studied with the same diagnostic methods plus imaging of proton induced Kα. Conversion efficiency to protons has also been measured and modeled. Conclusions from the proton and electron heating experiments will be presented. Recent advances in modeling electron transport and innovative target designs for reducing igniter energy and increasing gain curves will also be discussed
Advances for laser ignition of internal combustion and rocket engines
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Schwarz, E.
2011-01-01
The scope of the PhD thesis presented here is the investigation of theoretical and practical aspects of laser-induced spark ignition and laser thermal ignition. Laser ignition systems are currently undergoing a rapidly development with growing intensity involving more and more research groups who mainly concentrate on the field of car and large combustion engines. This research is primarily driven by the engagement to meet the increasingly strict emission limits and by the intention to use the limited energy reserves more efficiently. For internal combustion engines, laser plasma-induced ignition will allow to combine the goals for legally required reductions of pollutant emissions and higher engine efficiencies. Also for rocket engines laser ignition turns out to be very attractive. A highly reliable ignition system like laser ignition would represent an option for introducing non-toxic propellants in order to replace highly toxic and carcinogenic hydrazine-based propellants commonly used in launch vehicle upper stages and satellites. The most important results on laser ignition and laser plasma generation, accomplished by the author and, in some respects, enriched by cooperation with colleagues are presented in the following. The emphasis of this thesis is placed on the following issues: - Two-color effects on laser plasma generation - Theoretical considerations about the focal volume concerning plasma generation - Plasma transmission experiments - Ignition experiments on laser-induced ignition - Ignition experiments on thermally-induced ignition - Feasibility study on laser ignition of rocket engines The purpose of the two-color laser plasma experiments is to investigate possible constructive interference effects of driving fields that are not monochromatic, but contain (second) harmonic radiation with respect to the goal of lowering the plasma generation threshold. Such effects have been found in a number of related processes, such as laser ablation or high
Progress and prospects of ion-driven fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Fernandez, Juan C.; Albright, Brian J.; Flippo, Kirk A.; Gautier, D. Cort; Hegelich, Bjoern M.; Schmitt, Mark J.; Yin Lin; Honrubia, J.J.; Temporal, M.
2009-01-01
Fusion fast ignition (FI) initiated by laser-driven ion beams is a promising concept examined in this paper. FI based on a beam of quasi-monoenergetic ions (protons or heavier ions) has the advantage of a more localized energy deposition, which minimizes the required total beam energy, bringing it close to the ∼10 kJ minimum required for fuel densities ∼500 g cm -3 . High-current, laser-driven ion beams are most promising for this purpose. Because they are born neutralized in picosecond timescales, these beams may deliver the power density required to ignite the compressed DT fuel, ∼10 kJ/10 ps into a spot 20 μm in diameter. Our modelling of ion-based FI include high fusion gain targets and a proof of principle experiment. That modelling indicates the concept is feasible, and provides confirmation of our understanding of the operative physics, a firmer foundation for the requirements, and a better understanding of the optimization trade space. An important benefit of the scheme is that such a high-energy, quasi-monoenergetic ignitor beam could be generated far from the capsule (≥1 cm away), eliminating the need for a reentrant cone in the capsule to protect the ion-generation laser target, a tremendous practical benefit. This paper summarizes the ion-based FI concept, the integrated ion-driven FI modelling, the requirements on the ignitor beam derived from that modelling, and the progress in developing a suitable laser-driven ignitor ion beam.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Norimatsu, T.; Azechi, H.; Fujimoto, Y.; Jitsuno, T.; Kanabe, T.; Kodama, R.; Kondo, K.; Miyanaga, N.; Nagatomo, H.; Nakatsuka, M.; Shiraga, H.; Tanaka, K.A.; Tsubakimoto, K.; Yamanaka, M.; Yasuhara, R.; Izawa, Y.; Kawashima, T.; Kurita, T.; Matsumoto, O.; Tsuchiya, Y.; Sekine, T.; Kan, H.
2005-01-01
A critical path to a laser fusion power plant is construction of a reliable, efficient, high repetitive energy driver including the relation with the reactor environment. At ILE, Osaka University, FIREX project has been proposed and the phase I to show heating of compressed fuel to 5 keV has started with construction of the FIREX laser. This project will demonstrate physics of fast ignition and elemental studies are carried out to obtain persuasive data to find the path to the goal. A diode-laser-pumped, solid-state-laser (DPSSL) HALNA-10 succeeded in operation of 7.5J output power at 10 Hz rep-rate. Contamination of final optics by metal vapor was studied using a 1/10 model of the beam duct. The result indicated that contamination can be controlled with high speed shutters and a low pressure buffer gas. (author)
Ion beam heating for fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gus'kov, S.Yu.; Limpouch, J.; Klimo, O.
2010-01-01
Complete text of publication follows. The characteristics features of the formation of the spatial distribution of the energy transferred to the plasma from a beam of ions with different initial energies, masses and charges under fast ignition conditions are determined. The motion of the Bragg peak is extended with respect to the spatial distribution of the temperature of the ion-beam-heated medium. The parameters of the ion beams are determined to initiate different regimes of fast ignition of thermonuclear fuel precompressed to a density of 300-500 g/cm 3 - the edge regime, in which the ignition region is formed at the outer boundary of the fuel, and the internal regime, in which the ignition region is formed in central parts of the fuel. The conclusion on the requirements for fast ignition by light and heavy ion beams is presented. It is shown that the edge heating with negative temperature gradient is described by a self-similar solution. Such a temperature distribution is the reason of the fact that the ignited beam energy at the edge heating is larger than the minimal ignition energy by factor 1.65. The temperature Bragg peak may be produced by ion beam heating in the reactor scale targets with pR-parameter larger than 3-4 g/cm 2 . In particular, for central ignition of the targets with pR-parameters in the range of 4-8 g/cm 2 the ion beam energy should be, respectively, from 5 to 7 times larger than the minimal ignition energy. The work by S.Ye. Gus'kov, D.V. Il'in, and V.E. Sherman was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation under the program 'Development of the Scientific Potential of High Education for 2009-2010' (project no. 2.1.1/1505) and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no. 08-02-01394 a ). The work by J. Limpouch and O. Klimo was supported by the Czech Ministry of Education (project no. LC528, MSM6840770022).
Fundamental Studies of Ignition Process in Large Natural Gas Engines Using Laser Spark Ignition
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Azer Yalin; Bryan Willson
2008-06-30
Past research has shown that laser ignition provides a potential means to reduce emissions and improve engine efficiency of gas-fired engines to meet longer-term DOE ARES (Advanced Reciprocating Engine Systems) targets. Despite the potential advantages of laser ignition, the technology is not seeing practical or commercial use. A major impediment in this regard has been the 'open-path' beam delivery used in much of the past research. This mode of delivery is not considered industrially practical owing to safety factors, as well as susceptibility to vibrations, thermal effects etc. The overall goal of our project has been to develop technologies and approaches for practical laser ignition systems. To this end, we are pursuing fiber optically coupled laser ignition system and multiplexing methods for multiple cylinder engine operation. This report summarizes our progress in this regard. A partial summary of our progress includes: development of a figure of merit to guide fiber selection, identification of hollow-core fibers as a potential means of fiber delivery, demonstration of bench-top sparking through hollow-core fibers, single-cylinder engine operation with fiber delivered laser ignition, demonstration of bench-top multiplexing, dual-cylinder engine operation via multiplexed fiber delivered laser ignition, and sparking with fiber lasers. To the best of our knowledge, each of these accomplishments was a first.
Laser Ignition Technology for Bi-Propellant Rocket Engine Applications
Thomas, Matthew E.; Bossard, John A.; Early, Jim; Trinh, Huu; Dennis, Jay; Turner, James (Technical Monitor)
2001-01-01
The fiber optically coupled laser ignition approach summarized is under consideration for use in igniting bi-propellant rocket thrust chambers. This laser ignition approach is based on a novel dual pulse format capable of effectively increasing laser generated plasma life times up to 1000 % over conventional laser ignition methods. In the dual-pulse format tinder consideration here an initial laser pulse is used to generate a small plasma kernel. A second laser pulse that effectively irradiates the plasma kernel follows this pulse. Energy transfer into the kernel is much more efficient because of its absorption characteristics thereby allowing the kernel to develop into a much more effective ignition source for subsequent combustion processes. In this research effort both single and dual-pulse formats were evaluated in a small testbed rocket thrust chamber. The rocket chamber was designed to evaluate several bipropellant combinations. Optical access to the chamber was provided through small sapphire windows. Test results from gaseous oxygen (GOx) and RP-1 propellants are presented here. Several variables were evaluated during the test program, including spark location, pulse timing, and relative pulse energy. These variables were evaluated in an effort to identify the conditions in which laser ignition of bi-propellants is feasible. Preliminary results and analysis indicate that this laser ignition approach may provide superior ignition performance relative to squib and torch igniters, while simultaneously eliminating some of the logistical issues associated with these systems. Further research focused on enhancing the system robustness, multiplexing, and window durability/cleaning and fiber optic enhancements is in progress.
Demonstration of Efficient Core Heating of Magnetized Fast Ignition in FIREX project
Johzaki, Tomoyuki
2017-10-01
Extensive theoretical and experimental research in the FIREX ``I project over the past decade revealed that the large angular divergence of the laser generated electron beam is one of the most critical problems inhibiting efficient core heating in electron-driven fast ignition. To solve this problem, beam guiding using externally applied kilo-tesla class magnetic field was proposed, and its feasibility has recently been numerically demonstrated. In 2016, integrated experiments at ILE Osaka University demonstrated core heating efficiencies reaching > 5 % and heated core temperatures of 1.7 keV. In these experiments, a kilo-tesla class magnetic field was applied to a cone-attached Cu(II) oleate spherical solid target by using a laser-driven capacitor-coil. The target was then imploded by G-XII laser and heated by the PW-class LFEX laser. The heating efficiency was evaluated by measuring the number of Cu-K- α photons emitted. The heated core temperature was estimated by the X-ray intensity ratio of Cu Li-like and He-like emission lines. To understand the detailed dynamics of the core heating process, we carried out integrated simulations using the FI3 code system. Effects of magnetic fields on the implosion and electron beam transport, detailed core heating dynamics, and the resultant heating efficiency and core temperature will be presented. I will also discuss the prospect for an ignition-scale design of magnetized fast ignition using a solid ball target. This work is partially supported by JSPA KAKENHI Grant Number JP16H02245, JP26400532, JP15K21767, JP26400532, JP16K05638 and is performed with the support and the auspices of the NIFS Collaboration Research program (NIFS12KUGK057, NIFS15KUGK087).
Studies of Electron Transport and Isochoric Heating and Their Applicability to Fast Ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Key, M H; Amiranoff, F; Andersen, C; Batani, D; Baton, S D; Cowan, T; Fisch, N; Freeman, R; Gremillet, L; Hall, T; Hatchett, S; Hill, J; King, J; Kodama, R; Koch, J; Koenig, M; Lasinski, B; Langdon, B; MacKinnon, A; Martinolli, E; Norreys, P; Parks, P; Perrelli-Cippo, E; Rabec Le Gloahec, M; Rosenbluth, M; Rousseaux, C; Santon, J J; Scianitti, F; Snavely, R; Tabak, M; Tanaka, K; Town, R; Tsutumi, T; Stephens, R
2003-01-01
Experimental measurements of electron transport and isochoric heating in 100 J, 1 ps laser irradiation of solid A1 targets are presented. Modeling with a hybrid PIC code is compared with the data and good agreement is obtained using a heuristic model for the electron injection. The relevance for fast ignition is discussed
Done, Bogdan
2017-10-01
Over the past 30 years numerous studies and laboratory experiments have researched the use of laser energy to ignite gas and fuel-air mixtures. The actual implementation of this laser application has still to be fully achieved in a commercial automotive application. Laser Plug Ignition as a replacement for Spark Plug Ignition in the internal combustion engines of automotive vehicles, offers several potential benefits such as extending lean burn capability, reducing the cyclic variability between combustion cycles and decreasing the total amount of ignition costs, and implicitly weight and energy requirements. The paper presents preliminary results of cycle variability study carried on a SI Engine equipped with laser Plug Ignition system. Versus classic ignition system, the use of the laser Plug Ignition system assures the reduction of the combustion process variability, reflected in the lower values of the coefficient of variability evaluated for indicated mean effective pressure, maximum pressure, maximum pressure angle and maximum pressure rise rate. The laser plug ignition system was mounted on an experimental spark ignition engine and tested at the regime of 90% load and 2800 rev/min, at dosage of λ=1.1. Compared to conventional spark plug, laser ignition assures the efficiency at lean dosage.
Laser ignition - Spark plug development and application in reciprocating engines
Pavel, Nicolaie; Bärwinkel, Mark; Heinz, Peter; Brüggemann, Dieter; Dearden, Geoff; Croitoru, Gabriela; Grigore, Oana Valeria
2018-03-01
Combustion is one of the most dominant energy conversion processes used in all areas of human life, but global concerns over exhaust gas pollution and greenhouse gas emission have stimulated further development of the process. Lean combustion and exhaust gas recirculation are approaches to improve the efficiency and to reduce pollutant emissions; however, such measures impede reliable ignition when applied to conventional ignition systems. Therefore, alternative ignition systems are a focus of scientific research. Amongst others, laser induced ignition seems an attractive method to improve the combustion process. In comparison with conventional ignition by electric spark plugs, laser ignition offers a number of potential benefits. Those most often discussed are: no quenching of the combustion flame kernel; the ability to deliver (laser) energy to any location of interest in the combustion chamber; the possibility of delivering the beam simultaneously to different positions, and the temporal control of ignition. If these advantages can be exploited in practice, the engine efficiency may be improved and reliable operation at lean air-fuel mixtures can be achieved, making feasible savings in fuel consumption and reduction in emission of exhaust gasses. Therefore, laser ignition can enable important new approaches to address global concerns about the environmental impact of continued use of reciprocating engines in vehicles and power plants, with the aim of diminishing pollutant levels in the atmosphere. The technology can also support increased use of electrification in powered transport, through its application to ignition of hybrid (electric-gas) engines, and the efficient combustion of advanced fuels. In this work, we review the progress made over the last years in laser ignition research, in particular that aimed towards realizing laser sources (or laser spark plugs) with dimensions and properties suitable for operating directly on an engine. The main envisaged
Griffiths, J.; Riley, M. J. W.; Borman, A.; Dowding, C.; Kirk, A.; Bickerton, R.
2015-03-01
Laser induced spark ignition offers the potential for greater reliability and consistency in ignition of lean air/fuel mixtures. This increased reliability is essential for the application of gas turbines as primary or secondary reserve energy sources in smart grid systems, enabling the integration of renewable energy sources whose output is prone to fluctuation over time. This work details a study into the effect of flow velocity and temperature on minimum ignition energies in laser-induced spark ignition in an atmospheric combustion test rig, representative of a sub 15 MW industrial gas turbine (Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd., Lincoln, UK). Determination of minimum ignition energies required for a range of temperatures and flow velocities is essential for establishing an operating window in which laser-induced spark ignition can operate under realistic, engine-like start conditions. Ignition of a natural gas and air mixture at atmospheric pressure was conducted using a laser ignition system utilizing a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser source operating at 532 nm wavelength and 4 ns pulse length. Analysis of the influence of flow velocity and temperature on ignition characteristics is presented in terms of required photon flux density, a useful parameter to consider during the development laser ignition systems.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Parvazian, A.; Javani, A.
2010-01-01
Fast ignition is a new method for inertial confinement fusion in which the compression and ignition steps are separated. In the first stage, fuel is compressed by laser or ion beams. In the second phase, relativistic electrons are generated by pettawat laser in the fuel. Also, in the second phase 5-35 MeV protons can be generated in the fuel. Electrons or protons can penetrate in to the ultra-dense fuel and deposit their energy in the fuel. More recently, cylindrical rather than spherical fuel chambers with magnetic control in the plasma domain have been also considered. This is called magnetized target fusion. Magnetic field has effects on relativistic electrons energy deposition rate in fuel. In this work, fast ignition method in cylindrical fuel chambers is investigated and transportation of the relativistic electrons and protons is calculated using MCNPX and FLUKA codes with 0.25 and 0.5 tesla magnetic field in single and dual hot spot. Furthermore, the transfer rate of relativistic electrons and high energy protons to the fuel and fusion gain are calculated. The results show that the presence of external magnetic field guarantees higher fusion gain, and relativistic electrons are much more appropriate objects for ignition. Magnetized target fusion in dual hot spot can be considered as an appropriate substitution for the current inertial confinement fusion techniques.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
A Parvazian
2010-12-01
Full Text Available Fast ignition is a new method for inertial confinement fusion (ICF in which the compression and ignition steps are separated. In the first stage, fuel is compressed by laser or ion beams. In the second phase, relativistic electrons are generated by pettawat laser in the fuel. Also, in the second phase 5-35 MeV protons can be generated in the fuel. Electrons or protons can penetrate in to the ultra-dense fuel and deposit their energy in the fuel . More recently, cylindrical rather than spherical fuel chambers with magnetic control in the plasma domain have been also considered. This is called magnetized target fusion (MTF. Magnetic field has effects on relativistic electrons energy deposition rate in fuel. In this work, fast ignition method in cylindrical fuel chambers is investigated and transportation of the relativistic electrons and protons is calculated using MCNPX and FLUKA codes with 0. 25 and 0. 5 tesla magnetic field in single and dual hot spot. Furthermore, the transfer rate of relativistic electrons and high energy protons to the fuel and fusion gain are calculated. The results show that the presence of external magnetic field guarantees higher fusion gain, and relativistic electrons are much more appropriate objects for ignition. MTF in dual hot spot can be considered as an appropriate substitution for the current ICF techniques.
Proton Beam Fast Ignition Fusion: Synergy of Weibel and Rayleigh-Taylor Instabilities
Stefan, V. Alexander
2011-04-01
The proton beam generation and focusing in fast ignition inertial confinement fusion is studied. The spatial and energy spread of the proton beam generated in a laser-solid interaction is increased due to the synergy of Weibel and Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities. The focal spot radius can reach 100 μm, which is nearly an order of magnitude larger than the optimal value. The energy spread decreases the beam deposition energy in the focal spot. Under these conditions, ignition of a precompressed DT fuel is achieved with the beam powers much higher than the values presently in consideration. Work supported in part by NIKOLA TESLA Laboratories (Stefan University), La Jolla, CA.
Isochoric Implosions for Fast Ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Clark, D S; Tabak, M
2007-01-01
Various gain models have shown the potentially great advantages of Fast Ignition (FI) Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) over its conventional hot spot ignition counterpart [e.g., S. Atzeni, Phys. Plasmas 6, 3316 (1999); M. Tabak et al., Fusion Sci. and Technology 49, 254 (2006)]. These gain models, however, all assume nearly uniform-density fuel assemblies. In contrast, conventional ICF implosions yield hollowed fuel assemblies with a high-density shell of fuel surrounding a low-density, high-pressure hot spot. Hence, to realize fully the advantages of FI, an alternative implosion design must be found which yields nearly isochoric fuel assemblies without substantial hot spots. Here, it is shown that a self-similar spherical implosion of the type originally studied by Guderley [Luftfahrtforschung 19, 302 (1942)] may be employed to yield precisely such quasi-isochoric imploded states. The difficulty remains, however, of accessing these self-similarly imploding configurations from initial conditions representing an actual ICF target, namely a uniform, solid-density shell at rest. Furthermore, these specialized implosions must be realized for practicable drive parameters and at the scales and energies of interest in ICF. A direct-drive implosion scheme is presented which meets all of these requirements and reaches a nearly isochoric assembled density of 300 g=cm 3 and areal density of 2.4 g=cm 2 using 485 kJ of laser energy
High-density and high-ρR fuel assembly for fast-ignition inertial confinement fusion
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Betti, R.; Zhou, C.
2005-01-01
Scaling relations to optimize implosion parameters for fast-ignition inertial confinement fusion are derived and used to design high-gain fast-ignition targets. A method to assemble thermonuclear fuel at high densities, high ρR, and with a small-size hot spot is presented. Massive cryogenic shells can be imploded with a low implosion velocity V I on a low adiabat α using the relaxation-pulse technique. While the low V I yields a small hot spot, the low α leads to large peak values of the density and areal density. It is shown that a 750 kJ laser can assemble fuel with V I ≅1.7x10 7 cm/s, α≅0.7, ρ≅400 g/cc, ρR≅3 g/cm 2 , and a hot-spot volume of less than 10% of the compressed core. If fully ignited, this fuel assembly can produce high gains of interest to inertial fusion energy applications
Final Project Report "Advanced Concept Exploration For Fast Ignition Science Program"
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
STEPHENS, Richard B.; McLEAN, Harry M.; THEOBALD, Wolfgang; AKLI, Kramer; BEG, Farhat N.; SENTOKU, Yasuiko; SCHUMACHER, Douglas; WEI, Mingsheng S.
2014-01-31
The Fast Ignition (FI) Concept for Inertial Confinement Fusion has the potential to provide a significant advance in the technical attractiveness of Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) reactors. FI differs from conventional “central hot spot” (CHS) target ignition by decoupling compression from heating: using the laser (or heavy ion beam or Z pinch) drive pulse (10’s of ns) to create a dense fuel and a second, much shorter (~10 ps) high intensity pulse to ignite a small region of it. There are two major physics issues concerning this concept; controlling the laser-induced generation of large electron currents and their propagation through high density plasmas. This project has addressed these two significant scientific issues in Relativistic High Energy Density (RHED) physics. Learning to control relativistic laser matter interaction (and the limits and potential thereof) will enable a wide range of applications. While these physics issues are of specific interest to inertial fusion energy science, they are also important for a wide range of other HED phenomena, including high energy ion beam generation, isochoric heating of materials, and the development of high brightness x-ray sources. Generating, controlling, and understanding the extreme conditions needed to advance this science has proved to be challenging: Our studies have pushed the boundaries of physics understanding and are at the very limits of experimental, diagnostic, and simulation capabilities in high energy density laboratory physics (HEDLP). Our research strategy has been based on pursuing the fundamental physics underlying the Fast Ignition (FI) concept. We have performed comprehensive study of electron generation and transport in fast-ignition targets with experiments, theory, and numerical modeling. A major issue is that the electrons produced in these experiments cannot be measured directly—only effects due to their transport. We focused mainly on x-ray continuum photons from bremsstrahlung
Fire ignition during laser surgery in pet rodents
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Collarile Tommaso
2012-09-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Laser surgery is an attractive alternative to other means of section device in terms of tissue inflammation and interaction, which has been extensively used in human and veterinary medicine. Although accidental ignition during laser surgeries is sporadically reported in human medical literature, to the authors’ knowledge this is the first report regarding laser-dependent fire ignition during surgery in veterinary medicine. Case presentation Two rodents, a 13-month old, 27-gram, male pet mouse (Mus musculus and a 1-year old, female Russian hamster (Phodopus sungorus, underwent surgical removal of masses with diode laser. During the surgical procedures fires ignited from the face masks. The mouse presented severe burns on the head and both forelimbs, it was hospitalized and approximately 2 months after surgery burns were resolved. The hamster presented severe burns on the face and the proximal regions of the body. At 72 hours from the accident the hamster was euthanized. Conclusion The present report suggests that fire ignition is a potential life-threatening complication of laser surgery in non-intubated rodents maintained under volatile anesthesia. High oxygen concentrations, the presence of combustible, and the narrowness of the surgical field with the face mask during laser surgery on rodents are risk factors for fire ignition.
Fast fission assisted ignition of thermonuclear microexplosions
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Winterberg, F.
2006-01-01
It is shown that the requirements for fast ignition of thermonuclear microexplosions can be substantially relaxed if the deuterium-tritium (DT) hot spot is placed inside a shell of U-238 (Th-232). An intense laser - or particle beam-projected into the shell leads to a large temperature gradient between the hot DT and the cold U-238 (Th-232), driving thermomagnetic currents by the Nernst effect, with magnetic fields large enough to entrap within the hot spot the α-particles of the DT fusion reaction. The fast fission reactions in the U-238 (Th-232) shell implode about 1/2 of the shell onto the DT, increasing its density and reaction rate. With the magnetic field generated by the Nernst effect, there is no need to connect the target to a large current carrying transmission line, as it is required for magnetized target fusion, solving the so-called ''stand off'' problem for thermonuclear microexplosions. (orig.)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Merson, J.A.; Salas, F.J.; Harlan, J.G.
1993-11-01
The use of laser ignited explosive components has been recognized as a safety enhancement over existing electrical explosive devices (EEDs). Sandia has been pursuing the development of optical ordnance for many years with recent emphasis on developing optical deflagration-to-detonation (DDT) detonators and pyrotechnic actuators. These low energy optical ordnance devices can be ignited with either a semiconductor diode laser, laser diode arrays or a solid state rod laser. By using a semiconductor laser diode, the safety improvement can be made without sacrificing performance since the input energy required for the laser diode and the explosive output are similar to existing electrical systems. The use of higher powered laser diode arrays or rod lasers may have advantages in fast DDT applications or lossy optical environments such as long fiber applications and applications with numerous optical connectors. Recent results from our continued study of optical ignition of explosive and pyrotechnic materials are presented. These areas of investigation can be separated into three different margin categories: (1) the margin relative to intended inputs (i.e. powder performance as a function of laser input variation), (2) the margin relative to anticipated environments (i.e. powder performance as a function of thermal environment variation), and (3) the margin relative to unintended environments (i.e. responses to abnormal environments or safety).
Novel Laser Ignition Technique Using Dual-Pulse Pre-Ionization
Dumitrache, Ciprian
Recent advances in the development of compact high power laser sources and fiber optic delivery of giant pulses have generated a renewed interest in laser ignition. The non-intrusive nature of laser ignition gives it a set of unique characteristics over the well-established capacitive discharge devices (or spark plugs) that are currently used as ignition sources in engines. Overall, the use of laser ignition has been shown to have a positive impact on engine operation leading to a reduction in NOx emission, fuel saving and an increased operational envelope of current engines. Conventionally, laser ignition is achieved by tightly focusing a high-power q-switched laser pulse until the optical intensity at the focus is high enough to breakdown the gas molecules. This leads to the formation of a spark that serves as the ignition source in engines. However, there are certain disadvantages associated with this ignition method. This ionization approach is energetically inefficient as the medium is transparent to the laser radiation until the laser intensity is high enough to cause gas breakdown. As a consequence, very high energies are required for ignition (about an order of magnitude higher energy than capacitive plugs at stoichiometric conditions). Additionally, the fluid flow induced during the plasma recombination generates high vorticity leading to high rates of flame stretching. In this work, we are addressing some of the aforementioned disadvantages of laser ignition by developing a novel approach based on a dual-pulse pre-ionization scheme. The new technique works by decoupling the effect of the two ionization mechanisms governing plasma formation: multiphoton ionization (MPI) and electron avalanche ionization (EAI). An UV nanosecond pulse (lambda = 266 nm) is used to generate initial ionization through MPI. This is followed by an overlapped NIR nanosecond pulse (lambda = 1064 nm) that adds energy into the pre-ionized mixture into a controlled manner until the
Overview of recent progress in US fast ignition research
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Freeman, R R; Akli, K; Beg, F; Betti, R; Chen, S; Clark, D J; Gu, P; Gregori, G; Hatchett, S P; Hey, D; Highbarger, K; Hill, J M; Izumi, N; Key, M H; King, J A; Koch, J A; Lasinski, B; Langdon, B; Mackinnon, A J; Meyerhofer, D; Patel, N; Patel, P; Pasley, J; Park, H; Ren, C; Snavely, R A; Stephens, R B; Stoeckl, C; Tabak, M; Town, R; Van Woerkom, L; Weber, R; Wilks, S C; Zhang, B
2005-01-01
The Fast Ignition Program in the United States has enjoyed increased funding in various forms from the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences of the Department of Energy. The program encompasses experiments on large laser facilities at various world-wide locations, and benefits enormously from collaborations with many international scientists. The program includes exploratory work in cone-target design and implosion dynamics, high electron current transport measurements in normal density materials, development of diagnostics for heating measurements, generation of protons from shaped targets, theoretical work on high gain target designs, and extensive modeling development using PIC and hybrid codes
Overview of recent progress in US fast ignition research
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Freeman, R.R.; Akli, K.; Gu, P.M.; Hey, D.; King, J.A.; Zhang, B.B.; Beg, F.; Chen, S.; Pasley, J.; Freeman, R.R.; Clark, D.J.; Highbarger, K.; Hill, J.M.; Patel, N.; Van Woerkom, L.; Weber, R.; Gregori, G.; Hatchett, S.P.; Izumi, N.; Key, M.; Koch, J.A.; Lasinki, B.; Langdon, B.; MacKinnon, A.J.; Patel, P.; Park, H.S.; Snavely, R.A.; Tabak, M.; Town, R.; Wilks, S.C.; Betti, R.; Ren, C.; Meyerhofer, D.; Stoeckl, C.; Stephens, R.B.
2006-01-01
The Fast Ignition Program in the United States has enjoyed increased funding in various forms from the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences of the Department of Energy. The program encompasses experiments on large laser facilities at various world-wide locations, and benefits enormously from collaborations with many international scientists. The program includes exploratory work in cone-target design and implosion dynamics, high electron current transport measurements in normal density materials, development of diagnostics for heating measurements, generation of protons from shaped targets, theoretical work on high gain target designs, and extensive modeling development using PIC (particles in cells) and hybrid codes. (authors)
Fast ignition upon the implosion of a thin shell onto a precompressed deuterium-tritium ball
Gus'kov, S. Yu.; Zmitrenko, N. V.
2012-11-01
Fast ignition of a precompressed inertial confinement fusion (ICF) target by a hydrodynamic material flux is investigated. A model system of hydrodynamic objects consisting of a central deuterium-tritium (DT) ball and a concentric two-layer shell separated by a vacuum gap is analyzed. The outer layer of the shell is an ablator, while the inner layer consists of DT ice. The igniting hydrodynamic flux forms as a result of laser-driven acceleration and compression of the shell toward the system center. A series of one-dimensional numerical simulations of the shell implosion, the collision of the shell with the DT ball, and the generation and propagation of thermonuclear burn waves in both parts of the system are performed. Analytic models are developed that describe the implosion of a thin shell onto a central homogeneous ball of arbitrary radius and density and the initiation and propagation of a thermonuclear burn wave induced by such an implosion. Application of the solution of a model problem to analyzing the implosion of a segment of a spherical shell in a conical channel indicates the possibility of fast ignition of a spherical ICF target from a conical target driven by a laser pulse with an energy of 500-700 kJ.
Laser ignition of liquid petroleum gas at elevated pressures
Loktionov, E.; Pasechnikov, N.; Telekh, V.
2017-11-01
Recent development of laser spark plugs for internal combustion engines have shown lack of data on laser ignition of fuel mixtures at multi-bar pressures needed for laser pulse energy and focusing optimisation. Methane and hydrogen based mixtures are comparatively well investigated, but propane and butane based ones (LPG), which are widely used in vehicles, are still almost unstudied. Optical breakdown thresholds in gases decrease with pressure increase up to ca. 100 bar, but breakdown is not a sufficient condition for combustion ignition. So minimum ignition energy (MIE) becomes more important for combustion core onset, and its dependency on mixture composition and pressure has several important features. For example, unlike breakdown threshold, is poorly dependent on laser pulse length, at least in pico- and to microsecond range. We have defined experimentally the dependencies of minimum picosecond laser pulse energies (MIE related value) needed for ignition of LPG based mixtures of 1.0 to 1.6 equivalence ratios and pressure of 1.0 to 3.5 bar. In addition to expected values decrease, low-energy flammability range broadening has been found at pressure increase. Laser ignition of LPG in Wankel rotary engine is reported for the first time.
Fast ignition breakeven scaling
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Slutz, Stephen A.; Vesey, Roger Alan
2005-01-01
A series of numerical simulations have been performed to determine scaling laws for fast ignition break even of a hot spot formed by energetic particles created by a short pulse laser. Hot spot break even is defined to be when the fusion yield is equal to the total energy deposited in the hot spot through both the initial compression and the subsequent heating. In these simulations, only a small portion of a previously compressed mass of deuterium-tritium fuel is heated on a short time scale, i.e., the hot spot is tamped by the cold dense fuel which surrounds it. The hot spot tamping reduces the minimum energy required to obtain break even as compared to the situation where the entire fuel mass is heated, as was assumed in a previous study [S. A. Slutz, R. A. Vesey, I. Shoemaker, T. A. Mehlhorn, and K. Cochrane, Phys. Plasmas 7, 3483 (2004)]. The minimum energy required to obtain hot spot break even is given approximately by the scaling law E T = 7.5(ρ/100) -1.87 kJ for tamped hot spots, as compared to the previously reported scaling of E UT = 15.3(ρ/100) -1.5 kJ for untamped hotspots. The size of the compressed fuel mass and the focusability of the particles generated by the short pulse laser determines which scaling law to use for an experiment designed to achieve hot spot break even
Pulse heating and ignition for off-centre ignited targets
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mahdy, A.I.; Takabe, H.; Mima, K.
1999-01-01
An off-centre ignition model has been used to study the ignition conditions for laser targets related to the fast ignition scheme. A 2-D hydrodynamic code has been used, including alpha particle heating. The main goal of the study is the possibility of obtaining a high gain ICF target with fast ignition. In order to determine the ignition conditions, samples with various compressed core densities having different spark density-radius product (i.e. areal density) values were selected. The study was carried out in the presence of an external heating source, with a constant heating rate. A dependence of the ignition conditions on the heating rate of the external pulse is demonstrated. For a given set of ignition conditions, our simulation showed that an 11 ps pulse with 17 kJ of injected energy into the spark area was required to achieve ignition for a compressed core with a density of 200 g/cm 3 and 0.5 g/cm 2 spark areal density. It is shown that the ignition conditions are highly dependent on the heating rate of the external pulse. (author)
Characterization of laser-induced ignition of biogas-air mixtures
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Forsich, Christian; Lackner, Maximilian; Winter, Franz; Kopecek, Herbert; Wintner, Ernst
2004-01-01
Fuel-rich to fuel-lean biogas-air mixtures were ignited by a Nd:YAG laser at initial pressures of up to 3 MPa and compared to the ignition of methane-air mixtures. The investigations were performed in a constant volume vessel heatable up to 473 K. An InGaAsSb/AlGaAsSb quantum well ridge diode laser operating at 2.55 μm was used to track the generation of water in the vicinity of the laser spark in a semi-quantitative manner. Additionally, the flame emissions during the ignition process were recorded and a gas inhomogeneity index was deduced. Laser-induced ignition and its accompanying effects could be characterized on a time scale spanning four orders of magnitude. The presence of CO 2 in the biogas reduces the burning velocity. The flame emissions result in a much higher intensity for methane than it was the case during biogas ignition. This knowledge concludes that engines fuelled with biogas ultimately affect the performance of the process in a different way than with methane. Methane-air mixtures can be utilized in internal combustion engines with a higher air-fuel ratio than biogas. Comparing failed laser-induced ignition of methane-air and biogas-air mixtures similar results were obtained. The three parameters water absorbance, flame emission and the gas inhomogeneity index constitute a suitable tool for judging the quality of laser-induced ignition of hydrocarbon-air mixtures at elevated pressures and temperatures as encountered in internal combustion engines
Temperature analysis of laser ignited metalized material using spectroscopic technique
Bassi, Ishaan; Sharma, Pallavi; Daipuriya, Ritu; Singh, Manpreet
2018-05-01
The temperature measurement of the laser ignited aluminized Nano energetic mixture using spectroscopy has a great scope in in analysing the material characteristic and combustion analysis. The spectroscopic analysis helps to do in depth study of combustion of materials which is difficult to do using standard pyrometric methods. Laser ignition was used because it consumes less energy as compared to electric ignition but ignited material dissipate the same energy as dissipated by electric ignition and also with the same impact. Here, the presented research is primarily focused on the temperature analysis of energetic material which comprises of explosive material mixed with nano-material and is ignited with the help of laser. Spectroscopy technique is used here to estimate the temperature during the ignition process. The Nano energetic mixture used in the research does not comprise of any material that is sensitive to high impact.
Laser imprint and implications for direct drive ignition with the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Weber, S.V.; Glendinning, S.G.; Kalantar, D.H.; Remington, B.A.; Rothenberg, J.E.
1996-01-01
For direct drive ICF, nonuniformities in laser illumination can seed ripples at the ablation front in a process called imprint. Such nonuniformities will grow during the capsule implosion and can penetrate the capsule shell impede ignition, or degrade burn. We have simulated imprint for a number of experiments on tile Nova laser. Results are in generally good agreement with experimental data. We leave also simulated imprint upon National Ignition Facility (NIF) direct drive ignition capsules. Imprint modulation amplitude comparable to the intrinsic surface finish of ∼40 nm is predicted for a laser bandwidth of 0.5 THz. Ablation front modulations experience growth factors up to several thousand, carrying modulation well into the nonlinear regime. Saturation modeling predicts that the shell should remain intact at the time of peak velocity, but penetration at earlier times appears more marginal
Deuterium–tritium catalytic reaction in fast ignition: Optimum ...
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
proton beam, the corresponding optimum interval values are proton average energy 3 ... contributions, into the study of the ignition and burn dynamics in a fast ignition frame- ..... choice of proton beam energy would fall in 3 ≤ Ep ≤ 10 MeV.
Laser fusion research with GEKKO XII and PW laser system at Osaka
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Izawa, Y.; Mima, K.; Azechi, H.; Fujioka, S.; Fujita, H.; Fujimoto, Y.; Jitsuno, T.; Johzaki, Y.; Kitagawa, Y.; Kodama, R.; Kondo, K.; Miyanaga, N.; Nagai, K.; Nagatomo, H.; Nakai, M.; Nishihara, K.; Nishimura, H.; Norimatsu, T.; Shiraga, H.; Shigemori, K.; Sunahara, A.; Tanaka, K.A.; Tsubakimoto, K.; Nakao, Y.; Norreys, P.; Sakagami, H.
2005-01-01
Fast heating of the compressed core plasma up to 500eV has been successfully demonstrated by injecting a 400J/0.6ps PW laser into a compressed CD shell through a hollow gold cone. According to this result, we started the FIREX (Fast Ignition Realization Experiment) project toward demonstrating the ignition of the highly compressed DT fuel by the high energy PW laser heating. A new heating laser LFEX (Laser for Fast Ignition Experiment) is under construction. In this paper the progresses in the experimental studies on scientific issues related to fast ignition and the integrated code development toward the FIREX will be reported. Research results on implosion hydrodynamics, Rayleigh-Taylor instability growth and a new stabilization mechanism are also reported. (author)
Fast-ignition heavy-ion fusion target by jet impact
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Velarde, P.; Ogando, F.; Eliezer, S.; Martinez-Val, J.M.
2005-01-01
A new target design for HIF, based on the fast-ignition principles, is proposed. Unlike the previous designs proposed so far, in this case just one energy source is needed to drive the whole process to ignition. The ultra-fast deposition of energy onto the compressed core is produced in this case by hypervelocity jets generated during the process. The collision of jets converts their kinetic energy into thermal energy of the nuclear fuel, which is expected to produce ignition under proper design. The process is studied in this paper, describing its most relevant features like jet production and later collision
Ultra High Intensity laser produced fast electron transport in under-dense and over-dense matter
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Manclossi, Mauro
2006-01-01
This thesis is related to inertial fusion research, and particularly concerns the approach to fast ignition, which is based on the use of ultra-intense laser pulses to ignite the thermonuclear fuel. Until now, the feasibility of this scheme has not been proven and depends on many fundamental aspects of the underlying physics, which are not yet fully understood and which are also very far from controls. The main purpose of this thesis is the experimental study of transport processes in the material over-dense (solid) and under-dense (gas jet) of a beam of fast electrons produced by pulse laser at a intensity of some 10 19 Wcm -2 . (author)
Laser-plasma interaction physics for shock ignition
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Goyon C.
2013-11-01
Full Text Available In the shock ignition scheme, the ICF target is first compressed with a long (nanosecond pulse before creating a convergent shock with a short (∼100 ps pulse to ignite thermonuclear reactions. This short pulse is typically (∼2.1015–1016 W/cm2 above LPI (Laser Plasma Instabilities thresholds. The plasma is in a regime where the electron temperature is expected to be very high (2–4 keV and the laser coupling to the plasma is not well understood. Emulating LPI in the corona requires large and hot plasmas produced by high-energy lasers. We conducted experiments on the LIL (Ligne d'Integration Laser, 10 kJ at 3ω and the LULI2000 (0.4 kJ at 2ω facilities, to approach these conditions and study absorption and LPI produced by a high intensity beam in preformed plasmas. After introducing the main risks associated with the short pulse propagation, we present the latest experiment we conducted on LPI in relevant conditions for shock ignition.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bellei, C.; Divol, L.; Kemp, A. J.; Key, M. H.; Larson, D. J.; Strozzi, D. J.; Marinak, M. M.; Tabak, M.; Patel, P. K. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)
2013-05-15
The energy and angular distributions of the fast electrons predicted by particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations differ from those historically assumed in ignition designs of the fast ignition scheme. Using a particular 3D PIC calculation, we show how the ignition energy varies as a function of source-fuel distance, source size, and density of the pre-compressed fuel. The large divergence of the electron beam implies that the ignition energy scales with density more weakly than the ρ{sup −2} scaling for an idealized beam [S. Atzeni, Phys. Plasmas 6, 3316 (1999)], for any realistic source that is at some distance from the dense deuterium-tritium fuel. Due to the strong dependence of ignition energy with source-fuel distance, the use of magnetic or electric fields seems essential for the purpose of decreasing the ignition energy.
Laser-induced breakdown ignition in a gas fed two-stroke engine
Loktionov, E. Y.; Pasechnikov, N. A.; Telekh, V. D.
2018-01-01
Laser-induced ignition for internal combustion engines is investigated intensively after demonstration of a compact ‘laser plug’ possibility. Laser spark benefits as compared to traditional spark plugs are higher compression rate, and possibility of almost any fuel ignition, so lean mixtures burning with lower temperatures could reduce harmful exhausts (NO x , CH, etc). No need in electrode and possibility for multi-point, linear or circular ignition can make combustion even more effective. Laser induced combustion wave appears faster and is more stable in time, than electric one, so can be used for ramjets, chemical thrusters, and gas turbines. To the best of our knowledge, we have performed laser spark ignition of a gas fed two-stroke engine for the first time. Combustion temperature and pressure, exhaust composition, ignition timing were investigated at laser and compared to a regular electric spark ignition in a two-stroke model engine. Presented results show possibility for improvement of two-stroke engines performance, in terms of rotation rate increase and NO x emission reduction. Such compact engines using locally mined fuel could be highly demanded in remote Arctic areas.
8. High power laser and ignition facilities
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Bayramian, A.J.; Beach, R.J.; Bibeau, C.
2002-01-01
This document gives a review of the various high power laser projects and ignition facilities in the world: the Mercury laser system and Electra (Usa), the krypton fluoride (KrF) laser and the HALNA (high average power laser for nuclear-fusion application) project (Japan), the Shenguang series, the Xingguang facility and the TIL (technical integration line) facility (China), the Vulcan peta-watt interaction facility (UK), the Megajoule project and its feasibility phase: the LIL (laser integration line) facility (France), the Asterix IV/PALS high power laser facility (Czech Republic), and the Phelix project (Germany). In Japan the 100 TW Petawatt Module Laser, constructed in 1997, is being upgraded to the world biggest peta-watt laser. Experiments have been performed with single-pulse large aperture e-beam-pumped Garpun (Russia) and with high-current-density El-1 KrF laser installation (Russia) to investigate Al-Be foil transmittance and stability to multiple e-beam irradiations. An article is dedicated to a comparison of debris shield impacts for 2 experiments at NIF (national ignition facility). (A.C.)
Characterisation of laser ignition in hydrogen-air mixtures in a combustion bomb
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Srivastava, Dhananjay Kumar; Agarwal, Avinash Kumar [Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur-208016 (India); Weinrotter, Martin; Wintner, Ernst [Photonics Institute, Vienna University of Technology, Gusshausstrasse 27, A-1040 Vienna (Austria); Iskra, Kurt [Institute of Experimental Physics, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 16, A-8010 Graz (Austria)
2009-03-15
Laser-induced spark ignition of lean hydrogen-air mixtures was experimentally investigated using nanosecond pulses generated by Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (wavelength 1064 nm) at initial pressure of 3 MPa and temperature 323 K in a constant volume combustion chamber. Laser ignition has several advantages over conventional ignition systems especially in internal combustion engines, hence it is necessary to characterise the combustion phenomena from start of plasma formation to end of combustion. In the present experimental investigation, the formation of laser plasma by spontaneous emission technique and subsequently developing flame kernel was measured. Initially, the plasma propagates towards the incoming laser. This backward moving plasma (towards the focusing lens) grows much faster than the forward moving plasma (along the direction of laser). A piezoelectric pressure transducer was used to measure the pressure rise in the combustion chamber. Hydrogen-air mixtures were also ignited using a spark plug under identical experimental conditions and results are compared with the laser ignition ones. (author)
Experimental study of fast electron transport in the framework of fast ignition for inertial fusion
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Vauzour, B.
2012-01-01
The framework of this PhD thesis is the validation of the fast ignition scheme for the nuclear fusion by inertial confinement. It consists in the experimental study of the various processes involved in fast electron beams propagation, produced by intense laser pulses (10 19 W.cm -2 ), through dense matter either solid or compressed. In this work we present the results of three experiments carried out on different laser facilities in order to generate fast electron beams in various conditions and study their propagation in different states of matter, from the cold solid to the warm and dense plasma.The first experiment was performed with a high intensity contrast on the UHI100 laser facility (CEA Saclay). The study of fast electron energy deposition inside thin aluminium targets highlights a strong target heating at shallow depths, where the collective effects are predominant, thus producing a steep temperature profile between front (300 eV) and rear (20 eV) sides over 20μm thickness. A numerical simulation of the experiment shows that this temperature gradient induces the formation of a shock wave, breaking through the rear side of the target and thus leading to increase the thermal emission. The experimental chronometry of the shock breakthrough allowed validating the model of the collective transport of electrons.Two other experiments were dedicated to the study of fast electron beam propagation inside compressed targets. In the first experiment on the LULI2000 laser facility, the plane compression geometry allowed to precisely dissociate the energy losses due to resistive effects from those due to the collisional ones. By comparing our experimental results with simulations, we observed a significative increase of the fast electron beam energy losses with the compression and the target heating to temperatures close to the Fermi temperature. The second experiment, performed in a cylindrical geometry, demonstrated a fast electron beam guiding phenomenon due to
Design of a cone target for fast ignition
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sunahara Atsushi
2013-11-01
Full Text Available We propose a new type of target for the fast ignition of inertial confinement fusion. Pre-formed plasma inside a cone target can significantly reduce the energy coupling efficiency from the ultra-high intense short-pulse laser to the imploded core plasma. Also, in order to protect the tip of the cone and reduce generation of pre-formed plasma, we propose pointed shaped cone target. In our estimation, the shock traveling time can be delayed 20–30 ps by lower-Z material with larger areal density compared to the conventional gold flat tip. Also, the jet flow can sweep the blow-off plasma from the tip of the cone, and the implosion performance is not drastically affected by the existence of pointed tip. In addition, the self-generated magnetic field is generated along the boundary of cone tip and surrounding CD or DT plasma. This magnetic field can confine fast electrons and focus to the implosion core plasma. Resultant heating efficiency is improved by 30% compared to that with conventional gold flat tip.
Laser ignited engines: progress, challenges and prospects.
Dearden, Geoff; Shenton, Tom
2013-11-04
Laser ignition (LI) has been shown to offer many potential benefits compared to spark ignition (SI) for improving the performance of internal combustion (IC) engines. This paper outlines progress made in recent research on laser ignited IC engines, discusses the potential advantages and control opportunities and considers the challenges faced and prospects for its future implementation. An experimental research effort has been underway at the University of Liverpool (UoL) to extend the stratified speed/load operating region of the gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine through LI research, for which an overview of some of the approaches, testing and results to date are presented. These indicate how LI can be used to improve control of the engine for: leaner operation, reductions in emissions, lower idle speed and improved combustion stability.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Liu, Dongxiao; Shan, Lianqiang; Zhou, Weimin; Wu, Yuchi; Zhu, Bin; Zhang, Feng; Bi, Bi; Zhang, Bo; Zhang, Zhimeng; Shui, Min; He, Yingling; Gu, Yuqiu; Zhang, Baohan; Peng, Xiaoshi; Xu, Tao; Wang, Feng; Yang, Zhiwen; Chen, Tao; Chen, Li; Chen, Ming
2016-01-01
During fast-ignition implosions, preheating of inside the cone tip caused by hard X-rays can strongly affect the generation and transport of hot electrons in the cone. Although indirect-drive implosions have a higher implosion symmetry, they cause stronger preheating effects than direct-drive implosions. To control the preheating of the cone tip, we propose the use of indirect-drive fast-ignition targets with thicker tips. Experiments carried out at the ShenGuang-III prototype laser facility confirmed that thicker tips are effective for controlling preheating. Moreover, these results were consistent with those of 1D radiation hydrodynamic simulations.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Liu, Dongxiao; Shan, Lianqiang; Zhou, Weimin; Wu, Yuchi; Zhu, Bin; Zhang, Feng; Bi, Bi; Zhang, Bo; Zhang, Zhimeng; Shui, Min; He, Yingling; Gu, Yuqiu, E-mail: yqgu@caep.cn; Zhang, Baohan [Science and Technology on Plasma Physics Laboratory, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Peng, Xiaoshi; Xu, Tao; Wang, Feng; Yang, Zhiwen; Chen, Tao; Chen, Li; Chen, Ming [Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); and others
2016-06-15
During fast-ignition implosions, preheating of inside the cone tip caused by hard X-rays can strongly affect the generation and transport of hot electrons in the cone. Although indirect-drive implosions have a higher implosion symmetry, they cause stronger preheating effects than direct-drive implosions. To control the preheating of the cone tip, we propose the use of indirect-drive fast-ignition targets with thicker tips. Experiments carried out at the ShenGuang-III prototype laser facility confirmed that thicker tips are effective for controlling preheating. Moreover, these results were consistent with those of 1D radiation hydrodynamic simulations.
Laser ignition of a multi-injector LOX/methane combustor
Börner, Michael; Manfletti, Chiara; Hardi, Justin; Suslov, Dmitry; Kroupa, Gerhard; Oschwald, Michael
2018-06-01
This paper reports the results of a test campaign of a laser-ignited combustion chamber with 15 shear coaxial injectors for the propellant combination LOX/methane. 259 ignition tests were performed for sea-level conditions. The igniter based on a monolithic ceramic laser system was directly attached to the combustion chamber and delivered 20 pulses with individual pulse energies of {33.2 ± 0.8 mJ } at 1064 nm wavelength and 2.3 ns FWHM pulse length. The applicability, reliability, and reusability of this ignition technology are demonstrated and the associated challenges during the start-up process induced by the oxygen two-phase flow are formulated. The ignition quality and pressure dynamics are evaluated using 14 dynamic pressure sensors distributed both azimuthally and axially along the combustion chamber wall. The influence of test sequencing on the ignition process is briefly discussed and the relevance of the injection timing of the propellants for the ignition process is described. The flame anchoring and stabilization process, as monitored using an optical probe system close to the injector faceplate connected to photomultiplier elements, is presented. For some of the ignition tests, non-uniform anchoring was detected with no influence onto the anchoring at steady-state conditions. The non-uniform anchoring can be explained by the inhomogeneous, transient injection of the two-phase flow of oxygen across the faceplate. This characteristic is verified by liquid nitrogen cold flow tests that were recorded by high-speed imaging. We conclude that by adapting the ignition sequence, laser ignition by optical breakdown of the propellants within the shear layer of a coaxial shear injector is a reliable ignition technology for LOX/methane combustors without significant over-pressure levels.
Laser ignition of a multi-injector LOX/methane combustor
Börner, Michael; Manfletti, Chiara; Hardi, Justin; Suslov, Dmitry; Kroupa, Gerhard; Oschwald, Michael
2018-02-01
This paper reports the results of a test campaign of a laser-ignited combustion chamber with 15 shear coaxial injectors for the propellant combination LOX/methane. 259 ignition tests were performed for sea-level conditions. The igniter based on a monolithic ceramic laser system was directly attached to the combustion chamber and delivered 20 pulses with individual pulse energies of {33.2 ± 0.8 mJ } at 1064 nm wavelength and 2.3 ns FWHM pulse length. The applicability, reliability, and reusability of this ignition technology are demonstrated and the associated challenges during the start-up process induced by the oxygen two-phase flow are formulated. The ignition quality and pressure dynamics are evaluated using 14 dynamic pressure sensors distributed both azimuthally and axially along the combustion chamber wall. The influence of test sequencing on the ignition process is briefly discussed and the relevance of the injection timing of the propellants for the ignition process is described. The flame anchoring and stabilization process, as monitored using an optical probe system close to the injector faceplate connected to photomultiplier elements, is presented. For some of the ignition tests, non-uniform anchoring was detected with no influence onto the anchoring at steady-state conditions. The non-uniform anchoring can be explained by the inhomogeneous, transient injection of the two-phase flow of oxygen across the faceplate. This characteristic is verified by liquid nitrogen cold flow tests that were recorded by high-speed imaging. We conclude that by adapting the ignition sequence, laser ignition by optical breakdown of the propellants within the shear layer of a coaxial shear injector is a reliable ignition technology for LOX/methane combustors without significant over-pressure levels.
Effect of laser induced plasma ignition timing and location on Diesel spray combustion
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pastor, José V.; García-Oliver, José M.; García, Antonio; Pinotti, Mattia
2017-01-01
Highlights: • Laser plasma ignition is applied to a direct injection Diesel spray, compared with auto-ignition. • Critical local fuel/air ratio for LIP provoked ignition is obtained. • The LIP system is able to stabilize Diesel combustion compared to auto-ignition cases. • Varying LIP position along spray axis directly affects Ignition-delay. • Premixed combustion is reduced both by varying position and delay of the LIP ignition system. - Abstract: An experimental study about the influence of the local conditions at the ignition location on combustion development of a direct injection spray is carried out in an optical engine. A laser induced plasma ignition system has been used to force the spray ignition, allowing comparison of combustion’s evolution and stability with the case of conventional autoignition on the Diesel fuel in terms of ignition delay, rate of heat release, spray penetration and soot location evolution. The local equivalence ratio variation along the spray axis during the injection process was determined with a 1D spray model, previously calibrated and validated. Upper equivalence ratios limits for the ignition event of a direct injected Diesel spray, both in terms of ignition success possibilities and stability of the phenomena, could been determined thanks to application of the laser plasma ignition system. In all laser plasma induced ignition cases, heat release was found to be higher than for the autoignition reference cases, and it was found to be linked to a decrease of ignition delay, with the premixed peak in the rate of heat release curve progressively disappearing as the ignition delay time gets shorter. Ignition delay has been analyzed as a function of the laser position, too. It was found that ignition delay increases for plasma positions closer to the nozzle, indicating that the amount of energy introduced by the laser induced plasma is not the only parameter affecting combustion initiation, but local equivalence ratio
Laser ignition of DAAF, DHT and DAATO{sub 3.5}
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Ali, Arif N.; Sandstrom, Mary M.; Oschwald, David M.; Moore, Kevin M.; Son, Steven F. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87544 (United States)
2005-10-01
CO{sub 2} laser ignition experimental results are reported for the high-nitrogen materials 3,6-dihydrazino-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (DHT), 3,3'-diamino-4,4'-azoxyfurazan (DAAF), and mixed N-oxides of 3,3'-azo-bis(6-amino-1,2,4,5-tetrazine) (DAATO{sub 3.5}, where the ''3.5'' indicates the average oxide content) at a maximum irradiance level of approximately 140 W/cm{sup 2}. Diagnostics include a photodiode, indium antimonide (InSb) IR detector, high speed (HS) video and a CO{sub 2} photodetector. ''First light'' is measured for DAATO{sub 3.5} and DAAF, however, due to the low visible light emission of the gas phase, thermal runaway, as measured by the InSb, is used as the ignition criterion for DHT. Ignition in the gas phase is captured by the high speed camera. It is observed that an increase in laser irradiance results in an increase in ignition and flame stand-off distance for DAATO{sub 3.5}. The high-nitrogen material laser ignition results are compared to the common nitramine explosive, octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX). Laser ignition delays for the different high-nitrogen materials are also compared in the context of Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) data. It is determined that DSC onset temperature, while a rough indicator of ignition delay trends, is not the equivalent of a direct measure of ignition temperature. (Abstract Copyright [2005], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mima, K.
2002-01-01
In 2000, the output energy of the peta watt module added to Gekko XII reached a level of 100 J in one pico-second. CD plastic shell pellets with or without cone guide are imploded by a few kJ/1 ns green beams of the Gekko XII laser, which are heated by the PWM laser. By the experiments, we found that D-D neutron yields are enhanced by one order of magnitude for both spherical implosion and cone guide implosion. In those experiments, it is found that the heating laser energy was not transferred into the core plasmas effectively in the case of without cone because of strong dumping of the intense laser pulse in coronal plasmas. Therefore, we concluded that the more efficient core heating occurs in the cone guide target and it will be better as an ignition target. In the peta watto laser experiments which is going in this Aprile, we will inject 500 J/1 ps pulse into cone targets to heat compressed CD plasmas with a density of 50-100 g/cc. In this experiment, it is expected that the plasma is heated to higher than 1 keV. The detail of the experiment will be reported in the conference. (author)
Generation of relativistic electron beam and its anomalous stopping in the fast ignition scheme
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sengupta, S.; Sandhu, A.S.; Dharmadhikari, A.K.; Kumar, G.R.; Das, A.; Kaw, P.K.
2005-01-01
We present experimental/theoretical results concerning two main physics issues related to the fast ignition scheme viz. the nonlinear mechanism of conversion of incident laser energy into a relativistic electron beam at the critical layer and its subsequent transport through an overdense plasma. Theoretical/numerical modelling of the experimental data, firstly shows that the conversion of the laser energy into an inward propagating electron beam occurs through the nonlinear mechanism of wave breaking of plasma waves excited at the critical layer and, secondly the transport of the electron beam through the overdense plasma is influenced by electrostatically induced and/or turbulence induced anomalous resistivity. (author)
Stefan, V. Alexander
2013-10-01
The fast ignition fusion pellet gain can be enhanced by a laser generated B-field shell. The B-field shell, (similar to Earth's B-field, but with the alternating B-poles), follows the pellet compression in a frozen-in B-field regime. A properly designed laser-pellet coupling can lead to the generation of a B-field shell, (up to 100 MG), which inhibits electron thermal transport and confines the alpha-particles. In principle, a pellet gain of few-100s can be achieved in this manner. Supported in part by Nikola Tesla Labs, Stefan University, 1010 Pearl, La Jolla, CA 92038-1007.
Trinh, Huu P.; Early, Jim; Osborne, Robin; Thomas, Matthew E.; Bossard, John A.
2002-01-01
This paper addresses the progress of technology development of a laser ignition system at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The first two years of the project focus on comprehensive assessments and evaluations of a novel dual-pulse laser concept, flight- qualified laser system, and the technology required to integrate the laser ignition system to a rocket chamber. With collaborations of the Department of Energy/Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and CFD Research Corporation (CFDRC), MSFC has conducted 26 hot fire ignition tests with lab-scale laser systems. These tests demonstrate the concept feasibility of dual-pulse laser ignition to initiate gaseous oxygen (GOX)/liquid kerosene (RP-1) combustion in a rocket chamber. Presently, a fiber optic- coupled miniaturized laser ignition prototype is being implemented at the rocket chamber test rig for future testing. Future work is guided by a technology road map that outlines the work required for maturing a laser ignition system. This road map defines activities for the next six years, with the goal of developing a flight-ready laser ignition system.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Yalin, Azer [Seaforth, LLC
2014-03-30
Research has characterized advanced kagome fiber optics for their use in laser ignition systems. In comparison to past fibers used in laser ignition, these fibers have the important advantage of being relatively bend-insensitivity, so that they can be bent and coiled without degradation of output energy or beam quality. The results are very promising for practical systems. For pulse durations of ~12 ns, the fibers could deliver >~10 mJ pulses before damage onset. A study of pulse duration showed that by using longer pulse duration (~20 – 30 ns), it is possible to carry even higher pulse energy (by factor of ~2-3) which also provides future opportunities to implement longer duration sources. Beam quality measurements showed nearly single-mode output from the kagome fibers (i.e. M2 close to 1) which is the optimum possible value and, combined with their high pulse energy, shows the suitability of the fibers for laser ignition. Research has also demonstrated laser ignition of an engine including reliable (100%) ignition of a single-cylinder gasoline engine using the laser ignition system with bent and coiled kagome fiber. The COV of IMEP was <2% which is favorable for stable engine operation. These research results, along with the continued reduction in cost of laser sources, support our commercial development of practical laser ignition systems.
The development of laser fusion research
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Mima, Kunioki [Osaka Univ., Suita (Japan). Inst. of Laser Engineering
1998-11-01
Laser fusion research started soon after the invention of laser. In 1972, the research was declassified and nuclear fusion by laser inplosion was proposed by J. Nuckolls. Since then, 26 years has passed and laser implosion experiments demonstrated 1000 times solid density compression. By the demonstration of 1000 times solid density, the mission of the laser fusion research shifted from `implosion physics` to `ignition and high gain`, namely demonstration of fusion output of 100 times input laser energy. By the recent developments of laser technology, ultra intense laser became available and opened up a new ignition scheme which is called `Fast Ignition`. The technology for the diode pumped solid state laser (DPSSL) is developed toward a laser driver for reactor. U.S. and France are constructing MJ lasers for demonstrating ignition and burn and Osaka University is investigating the fast ignition and the equivalent plasma of confinement (EPOC) toward high gain. (author)
The development of laser fusion research
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mima, Kunioki
1998-01-01
Laser fusion research started soon after the invention of laser. In 1972, the research was declassified and nuclear fusion by laser inplosion was proposed by J. Nuckolls. Since then, 26 years has passed and laser implosion experiments demonstrated 1000 times solid density compression. By the demonstration of 1000 times solid density, the mission of the laser fusion research shifted from 'implosion physics' to 'ignition and high gain', namely demonstration of fusion output of 100 times input laser energy. By the recent developments of laser technology, ultra intense laser became available and opened up a new ignition scheme which is called 'Fast Ignition'. The technology for the diode pumped solid state laser (DPSSL) is developed toward a laser driver for reactor. U.S. and France are constructing MJ lasers for demonstrating ignition and burn and Osaka University is investigating the fast ignition and the equivalent plasma of confinement (EPOC) toward high gain. (author)
A self-similar isochoric implosion for fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Clark, D.S.; Tabak, M.
2007-01-01
Various gain models have shown the potentially great advantages of fast ignition (FI) inertial confinement fusion (ICF) over its conventional hot spot ignition counterpart (e.g. Atzeni S. 1999 Phys. Plasmas 6 3316; Tabak M. et al 2006 Fusion Sci. Technol. 49 254). These gain models, however, all assume nearly uniform density fuel assemblies. In contrast, conventional ICF implosions yield hollowed fuel assemblies with a high-density shell of fuel surrounding a low-density, high-pressure hot spot. Hence, to realize fully the advantages of FI, an alternative implosion design must be found which yields nearly isochoric fuel assemblies without substantial hot spots. Here, it is shown that a self-similar spherical implosion of the type originally studied by Guderley (1942 Luftfahrtforschung 19 302) may be employed to yield precisely such quasi-isochoric imploded states. The difficulty remains, however, of accessing these self-similarly imploding configurations from initial conditions representing an actual ICF target, namely a uniform, solid-density shell at rest. Furthermore, these specialized implosions must be realized for practicable drive parameters and at the scales and energies of interest in ICF. A direct-drive implosion scheme is presented which meets all of these requirements and reaches a nearly isochoric assembled density of 300 g cm -3 and areal density of 2.4 g cm -2 using 485 kJ of laser energy
Modeling of high energy laser ignition of energetic materials
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lee, Kyung-cheol; Kim, Ki-hong; Yoh, Jack J.
2008-01-01
We present a model for simulating high energy laser heating and ignition of confined energetic materials. The model considers the effect of irradiating a steel plate with long laser pulses and continuous lasers of several kilowatts and the thermal response of well-characterized high explosives for ignition. Since there is enough time for the thermal wave to propagate into the target and to create a region of hot spot in the high explosives, electron thermal diffusion of ultrashort (femto- and picosecond) lasing is ignored; instead, heat diffusion of absorbed laser energy in the solid target is modeled with thermal decomposition kinetic models of high explosives. Numerically simulated pulsed-laser heating of solid target and thermal explosion of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, triaminotrinitrobenzene, and octahydrotetranitrotetrazine are compared to experimental results. The experimental and numerical results are in good agreement
Laser induced plasma methodology for ignition control in direct injection sprays
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pastor, José V.; García-Oliver, José M.; García, Antonio; Pinotti, Mattia
2016-01-01
Highlights: • Laser Induced Plasma Ignition system is designed and applied to a Diesel Spray. • A method for quantification of the system effectiveness and reliability is proposed. • The ignition system is optimized in atmospheric and engine-like conditions. • Higher system effectiveness is reached with higher ambient density. • The system is able to stabilize Diesel combustion compared to auto-ignition cases. - Abstract: New combustion modes for internal combustion engines represent one of the main fields of investigation for emissions control in transportation Industry. However, the implementation of lean fuel mixture condition and low temperature combustion in real engines is limited by different unsolved practical issues. To achieve an appropriate combustion phasing and cycle-to-cycle control of the process, the laser plasma ignition system arises as a valid alternative to the traditional electrical spark ignition system. This paper proposes a methodology to set-up and optimize a laser induced plasma ignition system that allows ensuring reliability through the quantification of the system effectiveness in the plasma generation and positional stability, in order to reach optimal ignition performance. For this purpose, experimental tests have been carried out in an optical test rig. At first the system has been optimized in an atmospheric environment, based on the statistical analysis of the plasma records taken with a high speed camera to evaluate the induction effectiveness and consequently regulate and control the system settings. The same optimization method has then been applied under engine-like conditions, analyzing the effect of thermodynamic ambient conditions on the plasma induction success and repeatability, which have shown to depend mainly on ambient density. Once optimized for selected engine conditions, the laser plasma induction system has been used to ignite a direct injection Diesel spray, and to compare the evolution of combustion
The dynamics of Al/Pt reactive multilayer ignition via pulsed-laser irradiation
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Murphy, Ryan D.; Reeves, Robert V.; Yarrington, Cole D.; Adams, David P. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87123 (United States)
2015-12-07
Reactive multilayers consisting of alternating layers of Al and Pt were irradiated by single laser pulses ranging from 100 μs to 100 ms in duration, resulting in the initiation of rapid, self-propagating reactions. The threshold intensities for ignition vary with the focused laser beam diameter, bilayer thickness, and pulse length and are affected by solid state reactions and conduction of heat away from the irradiated regions. High-speed photography was used to observe ignition dynamics during irradiation and elucidate the effects of heat transfer into a multilayer foil. For an increasing laser pulse length, the ignition process transitioned from a more uniform to a less uniform temperature profile within the laser-heated zone. A more uniform temperature profile is attributed to rapid heating rates and heat localization for shorter laser pulses, and a less uniform temperature profile is due to slower heating of reactants and conduction during irradiation by longer laser pulses. Finite element simulations of laser heating using measured threshold intensities indicate that micron-scale ignition of Al/Pt occurs at low temperatures, below the melting point of both reactants.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Pisani, F
2000-02-15
In the fast igniter scheme, a recent approach proposed for the inertial confinement fusion, the idea is to dissociate the fuel ignition phase from its compression. The ignition phase would be then achieved by means of an external energy source: a fast electron beam generated by the interaction with an ultra-intense laser. The main goal of this work is to study the mechanisms of the hot electron energy transfer to the compressed fuel. We intent in particular to study the role of the electric and collisional effects involved in the hot electron propagation in a medium with properties similar to the compressed fuel. We carried out two experiments, one at the Vulcan laser facility (England) and the second one at the new LULI 100 TW laser (France). During the first experiment, we obtained the first results on the hot electron propagation in a dense and hot plasma. The innovating aspect of this work was in particular the use of the laser-shock technique to generate high pressures, allowing the strongly correlated and degenerated plasma to be created. The role of the electric and magnetic effects due to the space charge associated with the fast electron beam has been investigated in the second experiment. Here we studied the propagation in materials with different electrical characteristics: an insulator and a conductor. The analysis of the results showed that only by taking into account simultaneously the two propagation mechanisms (collisions and electric effects) a correct treatment of the energy deposition is possible. We also showed the importance of taking into account the induced modifications due to the electrons beam crossing the target, especially the induced heating. (author)
The National Ignition Facility 2007 laser performance status
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Haynam, C A; Sacks, R A; Wegner, P J; Bowers, M W; Dixit, S N; Erbert, G V; Heestand, G M; Henesian, M A; Hermann, M R; Jancaitis, K S; Manes, K R; Marshall, C D; Mehta, N C; Menapace, J; Nostrand, M C; Orth, C D; Shaw, M J; Sutton, S B; Williams, W H; Widmayer, C C [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, CA, 94550 (United States)], E-mail: haynam1@llnl.gov (and others)
2008-05-15
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory contains a 192-beam 3.6 MJ neodymium glass laser that is frequency converted to 351nm light. It has been designed to support high energy density science (HEDS), including the demonstration of fusion ignition through Inertial Confinement. To meet this goal, laser design criteria include the ability to generate pulses of up to 1.8-MJ total energy at 351nm, with peak power of 500 TW and precisely-controlled temporal pulse shapes spanning two orders of magnitude. The focal spot fluence distribution of these pulses is conditioned, through a combination of special optics in the 1{omega} (1053 nm) portion of the laser (continuous phase plates), smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD), and the overlapping of multiple beams with orthogonal polarization (polarization smoothing). In 2006 and 2007, a series of measurements were performed on the NIF laser, at both 1{omega} and 3{omega} (351 nm). When scaled to full 192-beam operation, these results lend confidence to the claim that NIF will meet its laser performance design criteria and that it will be able to simultaneously deliver the temporal pulse shaping, focal spot conditioning, peak power, shot-to-shot reproducibility, and power balance requirements of indirect-drive fusion ignition campaigns. We discuss the plans and status of NIF's commissioning, and the nature and results of these measurement campaigns.
On the possibility of D-3He fusion based on fast - ignition inertial confinement scheme
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Nakao, Y.; Hegi, K.; Ohmura, T.; Katsube, M.; Kudo, K.; Johzaki, T.; Ohta, M.
2007-01-01
Although nuclear fusion reactors adopting D 3 He fuel could provide many advantages, such as low neutron generation and efficient conversion of output fusion energy, the achievement of ignition is a difficult problem. It is therefore of particular importance to find some methods or schemes that relax the ignition requirements. In inertial confinement scheme, the use of pure D 3 He fuel is impractical because of the excessive requirement on driver energy. A small amount of DT fuel as 'igniter' is hence indispensable [1]. Our previous burn simulation [1] for DT/D 3 He fuels compressed to 5000 times the liquid density showed that substantial fuel gains (∼500) are obtained from fuels having parameters ρ R D T = 3 g/cm 2 , ρ R t otal 14 g/cm 2 and a central spark temperature of 5 keV. The driver energy needed to achieve these gains is estimated to be ∼30 MJ when the coupling efficiency is 10%; in this case the target gain is ∼50. Subsequent implosion simulation [2], however, showed that after void closure the central DT fuel is ignited while the bulk of the main D 3 He fuel is still imploding with high velocities. This pre-ignition of DT fuel leads to a low compression of the main fuel and prevents the DT/D 3 He fuel from obtaining required gain. These difficulties associated with the pre-ignition of DT fuel could be resolved or mitigated if other ignition schemes such as fast-ignition [3] and/or impact-ignition [4] are adopted, because in these schemes compression and ignition phases are separated. Furthermore, the reduction of driver energy can be expected. In the present study, we examine the possibility of D 3 He fusion in the fast-ignition scheme. Simulations until now have been made for a DT/D 3 He fuel compressed to 5000 times the liquid density by using FIBMET (2D fusion ignition and burning code) [5] and a newly developed neutron diffusion code. DT igniter was assumed to be placed at a corner of the compressed fuel. The ρ R values and temperature of
Laser-induced multi-point ignition for enabling high-performance engines
Chung, Suk-Ho
2015-01-01
Various multi-point laser-induced ignition techniques were reviewed, which adopted conical cavity and prechamber configurations. Up to five-point ignitions have been achieved with significant reduction in combustion duration, demonstrating potential increase in combustion system efficiency.
Laser shock ignition of porous silicon based nano-energetic films
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Plummer, A.; Gascooke, J.; Shapter, J.; Kuznetsov, V. A.; Voelcker, N. H.
2014-01-01
Nanoporous silicon films on a silicon wafer were loaded with sodium perchlorate and initiated using illumination with infrared laser pulses to cause laser thermal ignition and laser-generated shock waves. Using Photon Doppler Velocimetry, it was determined that these waves are weak stress waves with a threshold intensity of 131 MPa in the silicon substrate. Shock generation was achieved through confinement of a plasma, generated upon irradiation of an absorptive paint layer held against the substrate side of the wafer. These stress waves were below the threshold required for sample fracturing. Exploiting either the laser thermal or laser-generated shock mechanisms of ignition may permit use of pSi energetic materials in applications otherwise precluded due to their environmental sensitivity
Laser shock ignition of porous silicon based nano-energetic films
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Plummer, A.; Gascooke, J.; Shapter, J. [School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Flinders University, 5042, Bedford Park (Australia); Centre of Expertise in Energetic Materials (CEEM), Bedford Park (Australia); Kuznetsov, V. A., E-mail: nico.voelcker@unisa.edu.au, E-mail: Valerian.Kuznetsov@dsto.defence.gov.au [School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Flinders University, 5042, Bedford Park (Australia); Centre of Expertise in Energetic Materials (CEEM), Bedford Park (Australia); Weapons and Combat Systems Division, Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Edinburgh 5111 (Australia); Voelcker, N. H., E-mail: nico.voelcker@unisa.edu.au, E-mail: Valerian.Kuznetsov@dsto.defence.gov.au [Mawson Institute, University of South Australia, 5095, Mawson Lakes (Australia)
2014-08-07
Nanoporous silicon films on a silicon wafer were loaded with sodium perchlorate and initiated using illumination with infrared laser pulses to cause laser thermal ignition and laser-generated shock waves. Using Photon Doppler Velocimetry, it was determined that these waves are weak stress waves with a threshold intensity of 131 MPa in the silicon substrate. Shock generation was achieved through confinement of a plasma, generated upon irradiation of an absorptive paint layer held against the substrate side of the wafer. These stress waves were below the threshold required for sample fracturing. Exploiting either the laser thermal or laser-generated shock mechanisms of ignition may permit use of pSi energetic materials in applications otherwise precluded due to their environmental sensitivity.
Progress of laser nuclear fusion research
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Shiraga, Hiroyuki
2017-01-01
This paper describes the principle and features of nuclear fusion using laser, as well as its basic concepts such as high-temperature / high-density implosion system and fast ignition of fuel. At present, researches aiming at nuclear fusion ignition have been developing. As the current state of researches, this paper reviews the situations of FIREX (Fast Ignition Realization Experiment) project of Japan focusing on direct irradiation implosion and fast ignition system, as well as NIF (National Ignition Facility) project of the U.S. aiming at ignition combustion based on indirect irradiation implosion and central ignition system. In collaboration with the National Institute for Fusion Science, Osaka University started FIREX-1 project in 2003. It built a heating laser LFEX of 10 kJ/1 to 10ps, and started an implosion/heating integration experiment in 2009. Currently, it is developing experiment to achieve heating to 5 keV. At NIF, the self-heating of central sparks via energy of α particles generated in the nuclear fusion reaction has been realized. This paper also overviews R and D issues surrounding the lasers for reactors for use in laser nuclear fusion power generators. (A.O.)
Volume ignition of laser driven fusion pellets and double layer effects
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cicchitelli, L.; Eliezer, S.; Goldsworthy, M.P.; Green, F.; Hora, H.; Ray, P.S.; Stening, R.J.; Szichman, H.
1988-01-01
The realization of an ideal volume compression of laser-irradiated fusion pellets opens the possibility for an alternative to spark ignition proposed for many years for inertial confinement fusion. A re-evaluation of the difficulties of the central spark ignition of laser driven pellets is given. The alternative volume compression theory, together with volume burn and volume ignition, have received less attention and are re-evaluated in view of the experimental verification generalized fusion gain formulas, and the variation of optimum temperatures derived at self-ignition. Reactor-level DT fusion with MJ-laser pulses and volume compression to 50 times the solid-state density are estimated. Dynamic electric fields and double layers at the surface and in the interior of plasmas result in new phenomena for the acceleration of thermal electrons to suprathermal electrons. Double layers also cause a surface tension which stabilizes against surface wave effects and Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities. (author)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Opdebeck, Frederic; Gillard, Philippe [Laboratoire Energetique Explosions et Structures de l' Universite d' Orleans, 63 boulevard de Lattre de Tassigny, 18020 cedex, Bourges (France); Radenac, D' Erwann [Laboratoire de combustion et de detonique, ENSMA, BP 109, 86960 cedex, Futuroscope (France)
2003-01-01
This paper treats of numerical modelling which simulates the laser ignition of pyrotechnic mixtures. The computation zone is divided into two fields. The first is used to take account of the heat loss with the outside. It can represent an optical fibre or a sapphire protective porthole. The second field represents the reactive tablet which absorbs the laser diode's beam. A specific feature of the model is that it incorporates a thermal contact resistance R{sub c} between the two computation fields. Through knowledge of the thermal, optical and kinetic properties, this code makes it possible to compute the ignition conditions. The latter are defined by the energy E{sub 50} and the time t{sub i} of ignition of any pyrotechnic mixture and for various ignition systems.This work was validated in the case of an ignition system consisting of a laser diode with an optical lens re-focussing system. The reactive tablet contains 62% by mass of iron and 38% by mass of KClO{sub 4}. Its porosity is 25.8%. After an evaluation of the laser's coefficient of absorption, the variations of the ignition parameters E{sub 50} and t{sub i} are studied as a function of the thermal contact resistance R{sub c}. Temperature profiles are obtained as a function of time and for various values of the thermal contact resistance R{sub c}. More fundamental observations are made concerning the position of the hot spot corresponding to priming. From this study, which concerns the heat exchange between the two media, several practical conclusions are given concerning the design of an ignition device. By evaluation of the thermal contact resistance R{sub c}, comparison with test results becomes possible and the results of the computations are in reasonable agreement with the test measurements. (authors)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Logan, G.; Callahan-Miller, D.; Perkins, J.; Caporaso, G.; Tabak, M.; Moir, R.; Meier, W.; Bangerter, Roger; Lee, Ed
1998-01-01
Ion fast ignition, like laser fast ignition, can potentially reduce driver energy for high target gain by an order of magnitude, while reducing fuel capsule implosion velocity, convergence ratio, and required precisions in target fabrication and illumination symmetry, all of which should further improve and simplify IFE power plants. From fast-ignition target requirements, we determine requirements for ion beam acceleration, pulse-compression, and final focus for advanced accelerators that must be developed for much shorter pulses and higher voltage gradients than today's accelerators, to deliver the petawatt peak powers and small focal spots (∼100 (micro)m) required. Although such peak powers and small focal spots are available today with lasers, development of such advanced accelerators is motivated by the greater likely efficiency of deep ion penetration and deposition into pre-compressed 1000x liquid density DT cores. Ion ignitor beam parameters for acceleration, pulse compression, and final focus are estimated for two examples based on a Dielectric Wall Accelerator; (1) a small target with ρr ∼ 2 g/cm 2 for a small demo/pilot plant producing ∼40 MJ of fusion yield per target, and (2) a large target with ρr ∼ 10 g/cm 2 producing ∼1 GJ yield for multi-unit electricity/hydrogen plants, allowing internal T-breeding with low T/D ratios, >75 % of the total fusion yield captured for plasma direct conversion, and simple liquid-protected chambers with gravity clearing. Key enabling development needs for ion fast ignition are found to be (1) ''Close-coupled'' target designs for single-ended illumination of both compressor and ignitor beams; (2) Development of high gradient (>25 MV/m) linacs with high charge-state (q ∼ 26) ion sources for short (∼5 ns) accelerator output pulses; (3) Small mm-scale laser-driven plasma lens of ∼10 MG fields to provide steep focusing angles close-in to the target (built-in as part of each target); (4) beam space charge
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Logan, G.; Callahan-Miller, D.; Perkins, J.; Caporaso, G.; Tabak, M.; Moir, R.; Meier, W.; Bangerter, Roger; Lee, Ed
1998-04-01
Ion fast ignition, like laser fast ignition, can potentially reduce driver energy for high target gain by an order of magnitude, while reducing fuel capsule implosion velocity, convergence ratio, and required precisions in target fabrication and illumination symmetry, all of which should further improve and simplify IFE power plants. From fast-ignition target requirements, we determine requirements for ion beam acceleration, pulse-compression, and final focus for advanced accelerators that must be developed for much shorter pulses and higher voltage gradients than today's accelerators, to deliver the petawatt peak powers and small focal spots ({approx}100 {micro}m) required. Although such peak powers and small focal spots are available today with lasers, development of such advanced accelerators is motivated by the greater likely efficiency of deep ion penetration and deposition into pre-compressed 1000x liquid density DT cores. Ion ignitor beam parameters for acceleration, pulse compression, and final focus are estimated for two examples based on a Dielectric Wall Accelerator; (1) a small target with {rho}r {approx} 2 g/cm{sup 2} for a small demo/pilot plant producing {approx}40 MJ of fusion yield per target, and (2) a large target with {rho}r {approx} 10 g/cm{sup 2} producing {approx}1 GJ yield for multi-unit electricity/hydrogen plants, allowing internal T-breeding with low T/D ratios, >75 % of the total fusion yield captured for plasma direct conversion, and simple liquid-protected chambers with gravity clearing. Key enabling development needs for ion fast ignition are found to be (1) ''Close-coupled'' target designs for single-ended illumination of both compressor and ignitor beams; (2) Development of high gradient (>25 MV/m) linacs with high charge-state (q {approx} 26) ion sources for short ({approx}5 ns) accelerator output pulses; (3) Small mm-scale laser-driven plasma lens of {approx}10 MG fields to provide steep focusing angles
Study of electron and proton isochoric heating for fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Key, M.H.; Chen, M.H.; Chung, H.K.; Foord, M.E.; Gregori, G.; Hatchett, S.P.; Koch, J.A.; Lasinski, B.F.; Langdon, B.; MacKinnon, A.J.; Patel, P.; Snavely, R.A.; Tabak, M.; Town, R.; Wilks, S.C.; Akli, K.; Freeman, R.R.; Gu, P.; Hey, D.; Hill, J.M.; King, J.A.; Patel, N.; Zhang, B.; Freeman, R.R.; Stephens, R.B.; Beg, F.; Pasley, J.; Green, J.S.; Lancaster, K.; Murphy, C.D.; Norreys, P.A.; Green, J.S.; Murphy, C.D.; Habara, H.; Kodama, R.; Tanaka, K.; Yabuuchi, T.; Stoeckl, C.; Theobald, W.
2006-01-01
Isochoric heating by electrons has been measured in the two limiting cases of small area thin foils with dominant refluxing and cone-long-wire geometry with negligible refluxing in the wire. Imaging of Cu Kα cone fluorescence, crystal X-ray spectroscopy of Cu K shell emission, and X UV imaging at 68 eV and 256 eV are discussed. Laser power on target was typically 0.5 PW in 0.7 ps. Heating by focused proton beams generated at the concave inside surface of a hemi-shell and from a sub hemi-shell inside 30 degrees cone has been studied with the same diagnostic methods plus imaging of proton induced Kα. Conversion efficiency to protons has been measured and modeled. Conclusions from the experiments, links to theoretical understanding and relevance to fast ignition are outlined. (authors)
Transport Simulations for Fast Ignition on NIF
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Strozzi, D J; Tabak, M; Grote, D P; Cohen, B I; Shay, H D; Town, R J; Kemp, A J; Key, M
2009-10-26
We are designing a full hydro-scale cone-guided, indirect-drive FI coupling experiment, for NIF, with the ARC-FIDO short-pulse laser. Current rad-hydro designs with limited fuel jetting into cone tip are not yet adequate for ignition. Designs are improving. Electron beam transport simulations (implicit-PIC LSP) show: (1) Magnetic fields and smaller angular spreads increase coupling to ignition-relevant 'hot spot' (20 um radius); (2) Plastic CD (for a warm target) produces somewhat better coupling than pure D (cryogenic target) due to enhanced resistive B fields; and (3) The optimal T{sub hot} for this target is {approx} 1 MeV; coupling falls by 3x as T{sub hot} rises to 4 MeV.
Ion Fast Ignition-Establishing a Scientific Basis for Inertial Fusion Energy --- Final Report
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Stephens, Richard Burnite [General Atomics; Foord, Mark N. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Wei, Mingsheng [General Atomics; Beg, Farhat N. [University of California, San Diego; Schumacher, Douglass W. [The Ohio State University
2013-10-31
The Fast Ignition (FI) Concept for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) has the potential to provide a significant advance in the technical attractiveness of Inertial Fusion Energy reactors. FI differs from conventional ?central hot spot? (CHS) target ignition by decoupling compression from heating: using a laser (or heavy ion beam or Z pinch) drive pulse (10?s of nanoseconds) to create a dense fuel and a second, much shorter (~10 picoseconds) high intensity pulse to ignite a small volume within the dense fuel. The compressed fuel is opaque to laser light. The ignition laser energy must be converted to a jet of energetic charged particles to deposit energy in the dense fuel. The original concept called for a spray of laser-generated hot electrons to deliver the energy; lack of ability to focus the electrons put great weight on minimizing the electron path. An alternative concept, proton-ignited FI, used those electrons as intermediaries to create a jet of protons that could be focused to the ignition spot from a more convenient distance. Our program focused on the generation and directing of the proton jet, and its transport toward the fuel, none of which were well understood at the onset of our program. We have developed new experimental platforms, diagnostic packages, computer modeling analyses, and taken advantage of the increasing energy available at laser facilities to create a self-consistent understanding of the fundamental physics underlying these issues. Our strategy was to examine the new physics emerging as we added the complexity necessary to use proton beams in an inertial fusion energy (IFE) application. From the starting point of a proton beam accelerated from a flat, isolated foil, we 1) curved it to focus the beam, 2) attached the foil to a superstructure, 3) added a side sheath to protect it from the surrounding plasma, and finally 4) studied the proton beam behavior as it passed through a protective end cap into plasma. We built up, as we proceeded
Analysis of core plasma heating and ignition by relativistic electrons
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Nakao, Y.
2002-01-01
Clarification of the pre-compressed plasma heating by fast electrons produced by relativistic laser-plasma interaction is one of the most important issues of the fast ignition scheme in ICF. On the basis of overall calculations including the heating process, both by relativistic hot electrons and alpha-particles, and the hydrodynamic evolution of bulk plasma, we examine the feature of core plasma heating and the possibility of ignition. The deposition of the electron energy via long-range collective mode, i.e. Langmuir wave excitation, is shown to be comparable to that through binary electron-electron collisions; the calculation neglecting the wave excitation considerably underestimates the core plasma heating. The ignition condition is also shown in terms of the intensity I(h) and temperature T(h) of hot electrons. It is found that I(h) required for ignition increases in proportion to T(h). For efficiently achieving the fast ignition, electron beams with relatively 'low' energy (e.g.T(h) below 1 MeV) are desirable. (author)
Laser ignition device and its application to forestry, fire and land management
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Waterworth, M.D.
1987-01-01
A laser ignition device for controlled burning of forest logging slash has been developed and successfully tested. The device, which uses a kilowatt class carbon dioxide laser, operates at distances of 50 to 1500 meters. Acquisition and focus control are achieved by the use of a laser rangefinder and acquisition telescope. Additional uses for the device include back burning, selected undergrowth removal, safe ignition of oil spills, and deicing. A truck mounted version will be operational by fall 1987 and an airborne version by summer 1988. (author)
Laser ignition device and its application to forestry, fire and land management
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Waterworth, M. D.
1987-11-15
A laser ignition device for controlled burning of forest logging slash has been developed and successfully tested. The device, which uses a kilowatt class carbon dioxide laser, operates at distances of 50 to 1500 meters. Acquisition and focus control are achieved by the use of a laser rangefinder and acquisition telescope. Additional uses for the device include back burning, selected undergrowth removal, safe ignition of oil spills, and deicing. A truck mounted version will be operational by fall 1987 and an airborne version by summer 1988. (author)
The National Ignition Facility (NIF): A path to fusion energy
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Moses, Edward I.
2008-01-01
Fusion energy has long been considered a promising, clean, nearly inexhaustible source of energy. Power production by fusion micro-explosions of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets has been a long-term research goal since the invention of the first laser in 1960. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is poised to take the next important step in the journey by beginning experiments researching ICF ignition. Ignition on NIF will be the culmination of over 30 years of ICF research on high-powered laser systems such as the Nova laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the OMEGA laser at the University of Rochester, as well as smaller systems around the world. NIF is a 192-beam Nd-glass laser facility at LLNL that is more than 90% complete. The first cluster of 48 beams is operational in the laser bay, the second cluster is now being commissioned, and the beam path to the target chamber is being installed. The Project will be completed in 2009, and ignition experiments will start in 2010. When completed, NIF will produce up to 1.8 MJ of 0.35-μm light in highly shaped pulses required for ignition. It will have beam stability and control to higher precision than any other laser fusion facility. Experiments using one of the beams of NIF have demonstrated that NIF can meet its beam performance goals. The National Ignition Campaign (NIC) has been established to manage the ignition effort on NIF. NIC has all of the research and development required to execute the ignition plan and to develop NIF into a fully operational facility. NIF will explore the ignition space, including direct drive, 2ω ignition, and fast ignition, to optimize target efficiency for developing fusion as an energy source. In addition to efficient target performance, fusion energy requires significant advances in high-repetition-rate lasers and fusion reactor technology. The Mercury laser at LLNL is a high-repetition-rate Nd-glass laser for fusion energy driver development. Mercury
Technology Issues and Benefits of a Fast Ignition Power Plant with Cone Targets
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hogan, W J; Meier, W R
2003-01-01
The use of cone focus, fast ignition targets, either for direct or indirect drive, promises to lower the required driver size and relax the symmetry requirements in IFE power plants. It may also allow use of chamber concepts previously thought infeasible with a laser driver. These benefits will lower the COE and make IFE plants more competitive at smaller size. Their use also raises unique issues that will impact the design and development of power plant subsystems. Cone targets have a significant mass of high Z material whether or not they have a hohlraum and they are not spherically symmetric. This has implications for target injection, tracking and chamber background gas allowable
Electron accelerator with a laser ignition for investigation of beam plasma by optical methods
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kabanov, S.N.; Korolev, A.A.; Kul'beda, V.E.; Razumovskij, A.I.; Trukhin, V.A.
1990-01-01
Facility to conduct investigations into dense gas beam plasma is described. Facility comprises: electron accelerator (200-300 keV, 5kA, 20ns), OGM-40 ignition ruby laser LZhI-501 diagnostic laser (with 0.55-0.66 μm tunable wave length), Michelson interferometer and diagnostic equipment for optical measurements. Laser ignition of spark gap is introduced to strong synchronization (±10ns) of radiation pulse of diagnostic laser with beam current pulse
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Westover, B. [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States); Chen, C. D.; Patel, P. K.; McLean, H. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States); Beg, F. N., E-mail: fbeg@ucsd.edu [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States)
2014-03-15
Experiments on the Titan laser (∼150 J, 0.7 ps, 2 × 10{sup 20} W cm{sup −2}) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory were carried out in order to study the properties of fast electrons produced by high-intensity, short pulse laser interacting with matter under conditions relevant to Fast Ignition. Bremsstrahlung x-rays produced by these fast electrons were measured by a set of compact filter-stack based x-ray detectors placed at three angles with respect to the target. The measured bremsstrahlung signal allows a characterization of the fast electron beam spectrum, conversion efficiency of laser energy into fast electron kinetic energy and angular distribution. A Monte Carlo code Integrated Tiger Series was used to model the bremsstrahlung signal and infer a laser to fast electron conversion efficiency of 30%, an electron slope temperature of about 2.2 MeV, and a mean divergence angle of 39°. Simulations were also performed with the hybrid transport code ZUMA which includes fields in the target. In this case, a conversion efficiency of laser energy to fast electron energy of 34% and a slope temperature between 1.5 MeV and 4 MeV depending on the angle between the target normal direction and the measuring spectrometer are found. The observed temperature of the bremsstrahlung spectrum, and therefore the inferred electron spectrum are found to be angle dependent.
Physics of laser-plasma interaction for shock ignition of fusion reactions
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tikhonchuk, V T; Colaïtis, A; Vallet, A; Llor Aisa, E; Duchateau, G; Nicolaï, Ph; Ribeyre, X
2016-01-01
The shock ignition scheme is an alternative approach, which aims to achieve ignition of fusion reactions in two subsequent steps: first, the target is compressed at a low implosion velocity and second, a strong converging shock is launched during the stagnation phase and ignites the hot spot. In this paper we describe the major elements of this scheme and recent achievements concerning the laser-plasma interaction, the crucial role of hot electrons in the shock generation, the shock amplification in the imploding shell and the ignition conditions. (paper)
The national ignition facility (NIF) : A path to fusion energy
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Moses, E. I.
2007-01-01
Fusion energy has long been considered a promising clean, nearly inexhaustible source of energy. Power production by fusion micro-explosions of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets has been a long term research goal since the invention of the first laser in 1960. The NIF is poised to take the next important step in the journey by beginning experiments researching ICF ignition. Ignition on NIF will be the culmination of over thirty years of ICF research on high-powered laser systems such as the Nova laser at LLNL and the OMEGA laser at the University of Rochester as well as smaller systems around the world. NIF is a 192 beam Nd-glass laser facility at LLNL that is more than 90% complete. The first cluster of 48 beams is operational in the laser bay, the second cluster is now being commissioned, and the beam path to the target chamber is being installed. The Project will be completed in 2009 and ignition experiments will start in 2010. When completed NIF will produce up to 1.8 MJ of 0.35 μm light in highly shaped pulses required for ignition. It will have beam stability and control to higher precision than any other laser fusion facility. Experiments using one of the beams of NIF have demonstrated that NIF can meet its beam performance goals. The National Ignition Campaign (NIC) has been established to manage the ignition effort on NIF. NIC has all of the research and development required to execute the ignition plan and to develop NIF into a fully operational facility. NIF will explore the ignition space, including direct drive, 2ω ignition, and fast ignition, to optimize target efficiency for developing fusion as an energy source. In addition to efficient target performance, fusion energy requires significant advances in high repetition rate lasers and fusion reactor technology. The Mercury laser at LLNL is a high repetition rate Nd-glass laser for fusion energy driver development. Mercury uses state-o-the art technology such as ceramic laser slabs and light
Petawatt laser system for the fast ignition studies at ILE, Osaka University
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Izawa, Y.
2002-01-01
We have developed a PW Nd:glass laser system, which can deliver 1 PW output with 500 J in 0.5 ps, to study a fast ignitor concept in laser fusion. In the front end of this system, the optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier (OPCPA) was introduced. The OPCPA solves several problems arising in an existing Ti:sapphire regenerative amplifier, such as low single-pass gain, high prepulse and output fluctuation. A booster amplifier is a Cassegrain-type three pass disk system having a 350 mm clear aperture, which generated 1.1 kJ output energy with the spectral width of 3.7 nm corresponding to 0.5 ps in Fourier transform limited pulse. The spatial phase aberration mainly caused in the booster amplifier is corrected using a deformable mirror. The laser pulse is compressed by a pair of 1-m diffraction gratings and focused by a parabolic mirror. The timing jitter between PW laser and GEKKO XII is less than 10 ps, which was attained by injecting a weak pulse splitted out from the front end into the preamplifier of GEKKO XII. (author)
Direct-drive shock-ignition for the Laser MégaJoule
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Canaud B.
2013-11-01
Full Text Available We present a review of direct-drive shock ignition studies done as an alternative for the Laser MégaJoule (LMJ. One and two dimensional systematic analyses of HiPER-like shock-ignited target designs are performed for the fuel assembly irradiation uniformity using the whole LMJ configuration or a part of the facility, and for the uniformity of the ignitor spike. High-gain shock-ignition is shown to be possible with intensity of each quad less than 1015 W/cm2 but low modes asymmetries displace the power required in the ignitor spike towards higher powers. Shock-ignition of Direct-Drive Double-Shell non-cryogenic targets is also addressed.
Laser-assisted ignition and combustion characteristics of consolidated aluminum nanoparticles
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Saceleanu, Florin; Wen, John Z., E-mail: john.wen@uwaterloo.ca [University of Waterloo, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering (Canada); Idir, Mahmoud; Chaumeix, Nabiha [Institut de Combustion, Aérothermique, Réactivité et Environnement, UPR3021 du CNRS-INSIS (France)
2016-11-15
Aluminum (Al) nanoparticles have drawn much attention due to their high energy density and tunable ignition properties. In comparison with their micronscale counterpart, Al nanoparticles possess large specific surface area and low apparent activation energy of combustion, which reduce ignition delay significantly. In this paper, ignition and subsequently burning of consolidated Al nanoparticle pellets are performed via a continuous wave (CW) argon laser in a closed spherical chamber filled with oxygen. Pellets are fabricated using two types of nanoparticle sizes of 40–60 and 60–80 nm, respectively. A photodiode is used to measure the ignition delay, while a digital camera captures the location of the flame front. It is found that for the 40–60-nm nanoparticle pellets, ignition delay reduces with increasing the oxygen pressure or using the higher laser power. Analysis of the flame propagation rate suggests that oxygen diffusion is an important mechanism during burning of these porous nanoparticle pellets. The combustion characteristics of the Al pellets are compared to a simplified model of the diffusion-controlled oxidation mechanism. While experimental measurements of pellets of 40–60 nm Al particles agree with the computed diffusion-limiting mechanism, a shifted behavior is observed from the pellets of 60–80 nm Al particles, largely due to the inhomogeneity of their porous structures.
Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Gus’kov, S.Yu.; Demchenko, N. N.; Kasperczuk, A.; Pisarczyk, T.; Kalinowska, Z.; Chodukowski, T.; Renner, Oldřich; Šmíd, Michal; Krouský, Eduard; Pfeifer, Miroslav; Skála, Jiří; Ullschmied, Jiří; Pisarczyk, P.
2014-01-01
Roč. 32, č. 1 (2014), s. 177-195 ISSN 0263-0346 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LM2010014; GA MŠk EE2.3.20.0279 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 284464 - LASERLAB-EUROPE Grant - others:AVČR(CZ) M100101208; LaserZdroj (OP VK 3)(XE) CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0279 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 ; RVO:61389021 Keywords : inertial confinement fusion * shock ignition * laser-produced plasma * three-frame interferometry * X-ray spectroscopy * fast electron generation Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 1.295, year: 2014
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hata, M.
2010-01-01
Complete text of publication follows. A cone-guided target is used in the Fast Ignition Realization Experiment project phase-I (FIREX-I) and optimization of its design is performed. However a laser profile is not optimized much, because the laser profile that is the best for core heating is not known well. To find that, it is useful to investigate characteristics of generated fast electrons in each condition of different laser profiles. In this research, effects of laser profiles on fast electron generation are investigated on somewhat simple conditions by two-dimensional Particle-In-Cell simulations. In these simulations, a target is made up of Au pre-plasma and Au plasma. The Au pre-plasma has the exponential profile in the x direction with the scale length L = 4.0 μm and the density from 0.10 n cr to 20 n cr . The Au plasma has the flat profile in the x direction with 10 μm width and 20 n cr . Plasma profiles are uniform in the y direction. The ionization degree and the mass number of plasmas are 40 and 197, where the ionization degree is determined by PINOCO simulations. PINOCO is a two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics simulation code, which simulates formation of the high-density plasma during the compression phase in the fast ignition. A laser is assumed to propagate as plane wave from the negative x direction to the positive x direction. Laser profiles are supposed to be uniform in the y direction. Three different laser profiles, namely flat one with t flat = 100 fs, Gaussian one with t rise/fall = 47.0 fs and flat + Gaussian one with t rise/fall = 23.5 fs and t flat = 50 fs are used. The energy and the peak intensity are constant with E = 10 7 J/cm 2 and I L = 10 20 W/cm 2 in all cases of different laser profiles. We compare results in each condition of three different laser profiles and investigate effects of laser profiles on fast electron generation. Time-integrated energy spectra are similar in all cases of three different laser profiles. In the
The US ICF Ignition Program and the Inertial Fusion Program
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lindl, J D; Hammel, B A; Logan, B G; Meyerhofer, D D; Payne, S A; Stehian, J D
2003-01-01
There has been rapid progress in inertial fusion in the past few years. This progress spans the construction of ignition facilities, a wide range of target concepts, and the pursuit of integrated programs to develop fusion energy using lasers, ion beams and z-pinches. Two ignition facilities are under construction (NIF in the U.S. and LMJ in France) and both projects are progressing toward an initial experimental capability. The LIL prototype beamline for LMJ and the first 4 beams of NIF will be available for experiments in 2003. The full 192 beam capability of NIF will be available in 2009 and ignition experiments are expected to begin shortly after that time. There is steady progress in the target science and target fabrication in preparation for indirect drive ignition experiments on NIF. Advanced target designs may lead to 5-10 times more yield than initial target designs. There has also been excellent progress on the science of ion beam and z-pinch driven indirect drive targets. Excellent progress on direct-drive targets has been obtained on the Omega laser at the University of Rochester. This includes improved performance of targets with a pulse shape predicted to result in reduced hydrodynamic instability. Rochester has also obtained encouraging results from initial cryogenic implosions. There is widespread interest in the science of fast ignition because of its potential for achieving higher target gain with lower driver energy and relaxed target fabrication requirements. Researchers from Osaka have achieved outstanding implosion and heating results from the Gekko XII Petawatt facility and implosions suitable for fast ignition have been tested on the Omega laser. A broad based program to develop lasers and ions beams for IFE is under way with excellent progress in drivers, chambers, target fabrication and target injection. KrF and Diode Pumped Solid-State lasers (DPSSL) are being developed in conjunction with drywall chambers and direct drive targets
Simulations of laser imprint for Nova experiments and for ignition capsules. Revision 1
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Weber, S.V.; Glendinning, S.G.; Kalantar, D.H.; Key, M.H.; Remington, B.A.; Rothenberg, J.L.; Wolfrum, E.; Verdon, C.P.; Knauer, J.P.
1996-12-01
In direct drive ICF, nonuniformities in laser illumination seed ripples at the ablation front in a process called ''imprint''. These nonuniformities grow during the capsule implosion and, if initially large enough, can penetrate the capsule shell, impede ignition, or degrade burn. Imprint has been simulated for recent experiments performed on the Nova laser at LLNL examining a variety of beam smoothing conditions. Most used laser intensities similar to the early part of an ignition capsule pulse shape, 1 ≅ 10 13 W/cm 2 . The simulations matched most of the measurements of imprint modulation. The effect of imprint upon National Ignition Facility (NIF) direct drive ignition capsules has also been simulated. Imprint is predicted to give modulation comparable to an intrinsic surface finish of ∼10 nm RMS. Modulation growth was examined using the Haan [Phys. Rev. A 39, 5812 (1989)] model, with linear growth factors as a function of spherical harmonic mode number obtained from an analytic dispersion relation. Ablation front amplitudes are predicted to become substantially nonlinear, so that saturation corrections are large. Direct numerical simulations of two-dimensional multimode growth were also performed. The capsule shell is predicted to remain intact, which gives a basis for believing that ignition can be achieved. 27 refs., 10 figs
Ignition on the National Ignition Facility: a path towards inertial fusion energy
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Moses, Edward I.
2009-01-01
the world's attention on the possibility of an ICF energy option. NIF experiments to demonstrate ignition and gain will use central-hot-spot (CHS) ignition, where a spherical fuel capsule is simultaneously compressed and ignited. The scientific basis for CHS has been intensively developed (Lindl 1998 Inertial Confinement Fusion: the Quest for Ignition and Energy Gain Using Indirect Drive (New York: American Institute of Physics)) and has a high probability of success. Achieving ignition with CHS will open the door for other advanced concepts, such as the use of high-yield pulses of visible wavelength rather than ultraviolet and fast ignition concepts (Tabak et al 1994 Phys. Plasmas 1 1626-34, Tabak et al 2005 Phys. Plasmas 12 057305). Moreover, NIF will have important scientific applications in such diverse fields as astrophysics, nuclear physics and materials science. This paper summarizes the design, performance and status of NIF, experimental plans for NIC, and will present laser inertial confinement fusion-fission energy (LIFE) as a path to achieve carbon-free sustainable energy.
Ignition on the National Ignition Facility: a path towards inertial fusion energy
Moses, Edward I.
2009-10-01
the world's attention on the possibility of an ICF energy option. NIF experiments to demonstrate ignition and gain will use central-hot-spot (CHS) ignition, where a spherical fuel capsule is simultaneously compressed and ignited. The scientific basis for CHS has been intensively developed (Lindl 1998 Inertial Confinement Fusion: the Quest for Ignition and Energy Gain Using Indirect Drive (New York: American Institute of Physics)) and has a high probability of success. Achieving ignition with CHS will open the door for other advanced concepts, such as the use of high-yield pulses of visible wavelength rather than ultraviolet and fast ignition concepts (Tabak et al 1994 Phys. Plasmas 1 1626-34, Tabak et al 2005 Phys. Plasmas 12 057305). Moreover, NIF will have important scientific applications in such diverse fields as astrophysics, nuclear physics and materials science. This paper summarizes the design, performance and status of NIF, experimental plans for NIC, and will present laser inertial confinement fusion-fission energy (LIFE) as a path to achieve carbon-free sustainable energy.
Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Pisarczyk, T.; Gus’kov, S.Yu.; Renner, Oldřich; Demchenko, N. N.; Kalinowska, Z.; Chodukowski, T.; Rosinski, M.; Parys, P.; Šmíd, Michal; Dostál, Jan; Badziak, J.; Batani, D.; Volpe, L.; Krouský, Eduard; Dudžák, Roman; Ullschmied, Jiří; Turčičová, Hana; Hřebíček, Jan; Medřík, Tomáš; Pfeifer, Miroslav; Skála, Jiří; Zaras-Szydlowska, A.; Antonelli, L.; Maheut, Y.; Borodziuk, S.; Kasperczuk, A.; Pisarczyk, P.
2015-01-01
Roč. 33, č. 2 (2015), s. 221-236 ISSN 0263-0346 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ED1.1.00/02.0061; GA MŠk(CZ) LD14089; GA MŠk LM2010014; GA ČR GPP205/11/P712 Grant - others:ELI Beamlines(XE) CZ.1.05/1.1.00/02.0061; AVČR(CZ) M100101208; FP7(XE) 284464 Program:FP7 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 ; RVO:61389021 Keywords : energy transport * fast electrons * femtosecond interferometry * laser-produced plasma * shock ignition Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics; BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers (UFP-V) Impact factor: 1.649, year: 2015
ND:GLASS LASER DESIGN FOR LASER ICF FISSION ENERGY (LIFE)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Caird, J.A.; Agrawal, V.; Bayramian, A.; Beach, R.; Britten, J.; Chen, D.; Cross, R.; Ebbers, C.; Erlandson, A.; Feit, M.; Freitas, B.; Ghosh, C.; Haefner, C.; Homoelle, D.; Ladran, T.; Latkowski, J.; Molander, W.; Murray, J.; Rubenchik, S.; Schaffers, K.; Siders, C.W.; Stappaerts, E.; Sutton, S.; Telford, S.; Trenholme, J.; Barty, C.J.
2008-01-01
We have developed preliminary conceptual laser system designs for the Laser ICF (Inertial Confinement Fusion) Fission Energy (LIFE) application. Our approach leverages experience in high-energy Nd:glass laser technology developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), along with high-energy-class diode-pumped solid-state laser (HEC-DPSSL) technology developed for the DOE's High Average Power Laser (HAPL) Program and embodied in LLNL's Mercury laser system. We present laser system designs suitable for both indirect-drive, hot spot ignition and indirect-drive, fast ignition targets. Main amplifiers for both systems use laser-diode-pumped Nd:glass slabs oriented at Brewster's angle, as in NIF, but the slabs are much thinner to allow for cooling by high-velocity helium gas as in the Mercury laser system. We also describe a plan to mass-produce pump-diode lasers to bring diode costs down to the order of $0.01 per Watt of peak output power, as needed to make the LIFE application economically attractive
Ignition and Inertial Confinement Fusion at The National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Moses, E.
2009-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world's largest and most powerful laser system for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and for studying high-energy-density (HED) science, is now operational at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The NIF is now conducting experiments to commission the laser drive, the hohlraum and the capsule and to develop the infrastructure needed to begin the first ignition experiments in FY 2010. Demonstration of ignition and thermonuclear burn in the laboratory is a major NIF goal. NIF will achieve this by concentrating the energy from the 192 beams into a mm 3 -sized target and igniting a deuterium-tritium mix, liberating more energy than is required to initiate the fusion reaction. NIF's ignition program is a national effort managed via the National Ignition Campaign (NIC). The NIC has two major goals: execution of DT ignition experiments starting in FY2010 with the goal of demonstrating ignition and a reliable, repeatable ignition platform by the conclusion of the NIC at the end of FY2012. The NIC will also develop the infrastructure and the processes required to operate NIF as a national user facility. The achievement of ignition at NIF will demonstrate the scientific feasibility of ICF and focus worldwide attention on laser fusion as a viable energy option. A laser fusion-based energy concept that builds on NIF, known as LIFE (Laser Inertial Fusion Energy), is currently under development. LIFE is inherently safe and can provide a global carbon-free energy generation solution in the 21st century. This paper describes recent progress on NIF, NIC, and the LIFE concept.
A Laser Spark Plug Ignition System for a Stationary Lean-Burn Natural Gas Reciprocating Engine
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
McIntyre, D. L. [West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States)
2007-05-01
To meet the ignition system needs of large bore, high pressure, lean burn, natural gas engines a side pumped, passively Q-switched, Nd:YAG laser was developed and tested. The laser was designed to produce the optical intensities needed to initiate ignition in a lean burn, high compression engine. The laser and associated optics were designed with a passive Q-switch to eliminate the need for high voltage signaling and associated equipment. The laser was diode pumped to eliminate the need for high voltage flash lamps which have poor pumping efficiency. The independent and dependent parameters of the laser were identified and explored in specific combinations that produced consistent robust sparks in laboratory air. Prior research has shown that increasing gas pressure lowers the breakdown threshold for laser initiated ignition. The laser has an overall geometry of 57x57x152 mm with an output beam diameter of approximately 3 mm. The experimentation used a wide range of optical and electrical input parameters that when combined produced ignition in laboratory air. The results show a strong dependence of the output parameters on the output coupler reflectivity, Q-switch initial transmission, and gain media dopant concentration. As these three parameters were lowered the output performance of the laser increased leading to larger more brilliant sparks. The results show peak power levels of up to 3MW and peak focal intensities of up to 560 GW/cm2. Engine testing was performed on a Ricardo Proteus single cylinder research engine. The goal of the engine testing was to show that the test laser performs identically to the commercially available flashlamp pumped actively Q-switched laser used in previous laser ignition testing. The engine testing consisted of a comparison of the in-cylinder, and emissions behavior of the engine using each of the lasers as an ignition system. All engine parameters were kept as constant as possilbe while the equivalence ratio (fueling
Preparation of Au cone for fast ignition target
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Du Kai; Zhou Lan; Zhang Lin; Wan Xiaobo; Xiao Jiang
2005-01-01
Cone-shell target is typically used for the fast ignition experiments of inertial confinement fusion. In order to fabricate cone-shell target the Au cones with different angles were produced by electroplating and precise machining. The Au electroplating process was introduced in the paper, and the dependence of coating quality on the parameters, such as composition, temperature, pH of electroplating bath, current density and tip effect, were discussed. (author)
Resonant Laser Ignition Study of HAN-HEHN Propellant Mixture (Preprint)
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Alfano, Angelo J; Mills, Jeffrey D; Vaghjiani, Ghanshyam L
2008-01-01
...) - hydroxyethylhydrazinium nitrate (HEHN) mixtures. This prototypical ionic liquid propellant was successfully and reliably ignited/detonated under confinement with single laser pulses in the mid IR at 2.94 and 10.6 microns...
Effect of the Thruster Configurations on a Laser Ignition Microthruster
Koizumi, Hiroyuki; Hamasaki, Kyoichi; Kondo, Ryo; Okada, Keisuke; Nakano, Masakatsu; Arakawa, Yoshihiro
Research and development of small spacecraft have advanced extensively throughout the world and propulsion devices suitable for the small spacecraft, microthruster, is eagerly anticipated. The authors proposed a microthruster using 1—10-mm-size solid propellant. Small pellets of solid propellant are installed in small combustion chambers and ignited by the irradiation of diode laser beam. This thruster is referred as to a laser ignition microthruster. Solid propellant enables large thrust capability and compact propulsion system. To date theories of a solid-propellant rocket have been well established. However, those theories are for a large-size solid propellant and there are a few theories and experiments for a micro-solid rocket of 1—10mm class. This causes the difficulty of the optimum design of a micro-solid rocket. In this study, we have experimentally investigated the effect of thruster configurations on a laser ignition microthruster. The examined parameters are aperture ratio of the nozzle, length of the combustion chamber, area of the nozzle throat, and divergence angle of the nozzle. Specific impulse dependences on those parameters were evaluated. It was found that large fraction of the uncombusted propellant was the main cause of the degrading performance. Decreasing the orifice diameter in the nozzle with a constant open aperture ratio was an effective method to improve this degradation.
Possible ionization ''ignition'' in laser-driven clusters
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Rose-Petruck, C.; Schafer, K.J.; Barty, C.P.J.
1995-01-01
The authors use Classical Trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC) simulations to study the ionization of small rare gas clusters in short pulse, high intensity laser fields. They calculate, for a cluster of 25 neon atoms, the ionization stage reached and the average kinetic energy of the ionized electrons as functions of time and peak laser intensity. The CTMC calculations mimic the results of the much simpler barrier suppression model in the limit of isolated atoms. At solid density the results give much more ionization in the cluster than that predicted by the barrier suppression model. They find that when the laser intensity reaches a threshold value such that on average one electron is ionized from each atom, the cluster atoms rapidly move to higher ionization stages, approaching Ne +8 in a few femtoseconds. This ignition process creates an ultrafast pulse of energetic electrons in the cluster at quite modest laser intensities
Ignition and burn propagation with suprathermal electron auxiliary heating
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Han Shensheng; Wu Yanqing
2000-01-01
The rapid development in ultrahigh-intensity lasers has allowed the exploration of applying an auxiliary heating technique in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research. It is hoped that, compared with the 'standard fast ignition' scheme, raising the temperature of a hot-spot over the ignition threshold based on the shock-heated temperature will greatly reduce the required output energy of an ignition ultrahigh-intensity pulse. One of the key issues in ICF auxiliary heating is: how can we transport the exogenous energy efficiently into the hot-spot of compressed DT fuel? A scheme is proposed with three phases. First, a partial-spherical-shell capsule, such as double-conical target, is imploded as in the conventional approach to inertial fusion to assemble a high-density fuel configuration with a hot-spot of temperature lower than the ignition threshold. Second, a hole is bored through the shell outside the hot-spot by suprathermal electron explosion boring. Finally, the fuel is ignited by suprathermal electrons produced in the high-intensity ignition laser-plasma interactions. Calculations with a simple hybrid model show that the new scheme can possibly lead to ignition and burn propagation with a total drive energy of a few tens of kilojoules and an output energy as low as hundreds of joules for a single ignition ultrahigh-intensity pulse. (author)
ND:GLASS LASER DESIGN FOR LASER ICF FISSION ENERGY (LIFE)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Caird, J A; Agrawal, V; Bayramian, A; Beach, R; Britten, J; Chen, D; Cross, R; Ebbers, C; Erlandson, A; Feit, M; Freitas, B; Ghosh, C; Haefner, C; Homoelle, D; Ladran, T; Latkowski, J; Molander, W; Murray, J; Rubenchik, S; Schaffers, K; Siders, C W; Stappaerts, E; Sutton, S; Telford, S; Trenholme, J; Barty, C J
2008-10-28
We have developed preliminary conceptual laser system designs for the Laser ICF (Inertial Confinement Fusion) Fission Energy (LIFE) application. Our approach leverages experience in high-energy Nd:glass laser technology developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), along with high-energy-class diode-pumped solid-state laser (HEC-DPSSL) technology developed for the DOE's High Average Power Laser (HAPL) Program and embodied in LLNL's Mercury laser system. We present laser system designs suitable for both indirect-drive, hot spot ignition and indirect-drive, fast ignition targets. Main amplifiers for both systems use laser-diode-pumped Nd:glass slabs oriented at Brewster's angle, as in NIF, but the slabs are much thinner to allow for cooling by high-velocity helium gas as in the Mercury laser system. We also describe a plan to mass-produce pump-diode lasers to bring diode costs down to the order of $0.01 per Watt of peak output power, as needed to make the LIFE application economically attractive.
Lindl, J. D.; Hammel, B. A.; Logan, B. Grant; Meyerhofer, David D.; Payne, S. A.; Sethian, John D.
2003-12-01
There has been rapid progress in inertial fusion in the past few years. This progress spans the construction of ignition facilities, a wide range of target concepts and the pursuit of integrated programmes to develop fusion energy using lasers, ion beams and z-pinches. Two ignition facilities are under construction, the national ignition facility (NIF) in the United States and the laser megajoule (LMJ) in France, and both projects are progressing towards an initial experimental capability. The laser integration line prototype beamline for LMJ and the first four beams of NIF will be available for experiments in 2003. The full 192 beam capability of NIF will be available in 2009 and ignition experiments are expected to begin shortly after that time. There is steady progress in target science and target fabrication in preparation for indirect-drive ignition experiments on NIF. Advanced target designs may lead to 5 10 times more yield than initial target designs. There has also been excellent progress on the science of ion beam and z-pinch-driven indirect-drive targets. Excellent progress on direct-drive targets has been obtained on the Omega laser at the University of Rochester. This includes improved performance of targets with a pulse shape predicted to result in reduced hydrodynamic instability. Rochester has also obtained encouraging results from initial cryogenic implosions. There is widespread interest in the science of fast ignition because of its potential for achieving higher target gain with lower driver energy and relaxed target fabrication requirements. Researchers from Osaka have achieved outstanding implosion and heating results from the Gekko XII Petawatt facility and implosions suitable for fast ignition have been tested on the Omega laser. A broad-based programme to develop lasers and ion beams for inertial fusion energy (IFE) is under way with excellent progress in drivers, chambers, target fabrication and target injection. KrF and diode pumped solid
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lindl, J D; Hammel, B A; Logan, B Grant; Meyerhofer, David D; Payne, S A; Sethian, John D
2003-01-01
There has been rapid progress in inertial fusion in the past few years. This progress spans the construction of ignition facilities, a wide range of target concepts and the pursuit of integrated programmes to develop fusion energy using lasers, ion beams and z-pinches. Two ignition facilities are under construction, the national ignition facility (NIF) in the United States and the laser megajoule (LMJ) in France, and both projects are progressing towards an initial experimental capability. The laser integration line prototype beamline for LMJ and the first four beams of NIF will be available for experiments in 2003. The full 192 beam capability of NIF will be available in 2009 and ignition experiments are expected to begin shortly after that time. There is steady progress in target science and target fabrication in preparation for indirect-drive ignition experiments on NIF. Advanced target designs may lead to 5-10 times more yield than initial target designs. There has also been excellent progress on the science of ion beam and z-pinch-driven indirect-drive targets. Excellent progress on direct-drive targets has been obtained on the Omega laser at the University of Rochester. This includes improved performance of targets with a pulse shape predicted to result in reduced hydrodynamic instability. Rochester has also obtained encouraging results from initial cryogenic implosions. There is widespread interest in the science of fast ignition because of its potential for achieving higher target gain with lower driver energy and relaxed target fabrication requirements. Researchers from Osaka have achieved outstanding implosion and heating results from the Gekko XII Petawatt facility and implosions suitable for fast ignition have been tested on the Omega laser. A broad-based programme to develop lasers and ion beams for inertial fusion energy (IFE) is under way with excellent progress in drivers, chambers, target fabrication and target injection. KrF and diode pumped solid
Inertial Confinement Fusion: steady progress towards ignition and high gain (summary talk)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Basko, M.M.
2005-01-01
Most important recent advances in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) are highlighted. With the construction of the NIF and LMJ facilities, and a number of improvements in the target design, the conventional indirect-drive approach is making a steady progress towards demonstration of ignition and high gain. The development of the polar direct-drive concept made also the prospects for direct-drive ignition on the NIF extremely favorable. A substantial progress has been reported from the Institute of Laser Engineering in Osaka on exploration of the fast-ignition approach to ICF. Parallel to that, multi-wire Z-pinches have become a competitive driver option for achieving ignition at a lowest possible cost. In heavy ion fusion, experiments have been devoted so far to studying the generation, transport, and final focusing of high-current ion beams. A new concept for a power plant with a heavy-ion driver, based on a cylindrical direct-drive target compressed and ignited (in the fast-ignition mode) by two separate beams of very energetic (E i > or ∼ 0.5 GeV/u) heavy ions, has been proposed. (author)
Experiment and modeling: Ignition of aluminum particles with a carbon dioxide laser
Mohan, Salil
Aluminum is a promising ingredient for high energy density compositions used in propulsion systems, explosives, and pyrotechnics. Aluminum powder fuel additives enable one to achieve higher combustion enthalpies and reaction temperatures. Therefore, to develop aluminum based novel and customized high density energetic materials, understanding of ignition and combustion kinetics of aluminum powders is required. In most practical systems, metal ignition and combustion occur in environments with rapidly changing temperatures and gas compositions. The kinetics of exothermic reactions in related energetic materials is commonly characterized by thermal analysis, where the heating rates are very low, on the order of 1--50 K/min. The extrapolation of the identified kinetics to the high heating rates is difficult and requires direct experimental verification. This difficulty led to development of new experimental approaches to directly characterize ignition kinetics for the heating rates in the range of 103--104 K/s. However, the practically interesting heating rates of 106 K/s range have not been achieved. This work is directed at development of an experimental technique and respective heat transfer model for studying ignition of aluminum and other micron-sized metallic particles at heating rates varied around 106 K/s. The experimental setup uses a focused CO2 laser as a heating source and a plate capacitor aerosolizer to feed the aluminum particles into the laser beam. The setup allows using different environment for particle aerosolization. The velocities of particles in the jet are in the range of 0.1 --0 3 m/s. For each selected jet velocity, the laser power is increased until the particles are observed to ignite. The ignition is detected optically using a digital camera and a photomultiplier. The ignition thresholds for spherical aluminum powder were measured at three different particle jet velocities, in air environment. A single particle heat transfer model was
First laser-plasma interaction and hohlraum experiments on the National Ignition Facility
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Dewald, E L; Glenzer, S H; Landen, O L; Suter, L J; Jones, O S; Schein, J; Froula, D; Divol, L; Campbell, K; Schneider, M S; Holder, J; McDonald, J W; Niemann, C; Mackinnon, A J; Hammel, B A [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, PO Box 808, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States)
2005-12-15
Recently the first laser-plasma interaction and hohlraum experiments have been performed at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in support of indirect drive inertial confinement fusion designs. The effects of laser beam smoothing by spectral dispersion and polarization smoothing on the intense (2 x 10{sup 15} W cm{sup -2}) beam propagation in gas-filled tubes has been studied at up to 7 mm plasma scales as found in indirect drive gas filled ignition hohlraum designs. These experiments have shown the expected full propagation without filamentation and beam break up when using full laser smoothing. In addition, vacuum hohlraums have been irradiated with laser powers up to 6 TW, 1-9 ns pulse lengths and energies up to 17 kJ to activate several diagnostics, to study the hohlraum radiation temperature scaling with the laser power and hohlraum size, and to make contact with hohlraum experiments performed at the Nova and Omega laser facilities. Subsequently, novel long laser pulse hohlraum experiments have tested models of hohlraum plasma filling and long pulse hohlraum radiation production. The validity of the plasma filling assessment using in analytical models and radiation hydrodynamics calculations with the code LASNEX has been proven in these studies. The comparison of these results with modelling will be discussed.
Srivastava, Dhananjay Kumar; Dharamshi, Kewal; Agarwal, Avinash Kumar
2011-09-01
In this paper, laser-induced ignition was investigated for compressed natural gas-air mixtures. Experiments were performed in a constant volume combustion chamber, which simulate end of the compression stroke conditions of a SI engine. This chamber simulates the engine combustion chamber conditions except turbulence of air-fuel mixture. It has four optical windows at diametrically opposite locations, which are used for laser ignition and optical diagnostics simultaneously. All experiments were conducted at 10 bar chamber pressure and 373 K chamber temperature. Initial stage of combustion phenomena was visualized by employing Shadowgraphy technique using a high speed CMOS camera. Flame kernel development of the combustible fuel-air mixture was investigated under different relative air-fuel ratios ( λ=1.2-1.7) and the images were interrogated for temporal propagation of flame front. Pressure-time history inside the combustion chamber was recorded and analyzed. This data is useful in characterizing the laser ignition of natural gas-air mixture and can be used in developing an appropriate laser ignition system for commercial use in SI engines.
Inertial confinement fusion: steady progress towards ignition and high gain (summary talk)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Basko, M.M.
2005-01-01
Based on the results presented at the 20th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference 2004, this paper highlights the most important recent advances in inertial confinement fusion (ICF). With the construction of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and the Laser Megajoule facility and many improvements in the target design, the conventional indirect-drive approach is advancing steadily towards the demonstration of ignition and high gain. The development of the polar direct-drive concept also made the prospects for direct-drive ignition on the NIF very favourable. Substantial progress was reported on the exploration of the fast-ignition approach to ICF. Parallel to that, multi-wire Z-pinches have become a competitive driver option for achieving ignition at the lowest possible cost. In heavy-ion fusion, experiments have been devoted so far to studying the generation, transport, and final focusing of high-current ion beams. A new concept for a power plant with a heavy-ion driver, based on a cylindrical direct-drive target compressed and ignited (in the fast-ignition mode) by two separate beams of very energetic (E i ≥ 0.5 GeV u -1 ) heavy ions, has been proposed
Inertial confinement fusion: steady progress towards ignition and high gain (summary talk)
Basko, M. M.
2005-10-01
Based on the results presented at the 20th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference 2004, this paper highlights the most important recent advances in inertial confinement fusion (ICF). With the construction of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and the Laser Mégajoule facility and many improvements in the target design, the conventional indirect-drive approach is advancing steadily towards the demonstration of ignition and high gain. The development of the polar direct-drive concept also made the prospects for direct-drive ignition on the NIF very favourable. Substantial progress was reported on the exploration of the fast-ignition approach to ICF. Parallel to that, multi-wire Z-pinches have become a competitive driver option for achieving ignition at the lowest possible cost. In heavy-ion fusion, experiments have been devoted so far to studying the generation, transport, and final focusing of high-current ion beams. A new concept for a power plant with a heavy-ion driver, based on a cylindrical direct-drive target compressed and ignited (in the fast-ignition mode) by two separate beams of very energetic (Ei>~ 0.5 GeV u-1) heavy ions, has been proposed.
Recent experimental progress in the study of electron and proton beating for fast ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Key, M. H.; Akli, K.; Beg, F.; Chen, M. H.; Chen, Z.; Chung, H. K.; Fournier, K.; Freeman, R. R.; Green, J. S.; Gu, P.; Gregori, J.; Habara, H.; Hatchett, S. P.; Hey, D.; Hill, J. M.; Izawa, Y.; King, J. A.; Kitagawa, Y.; Kodama, R.; Koch, J. A.; Lancaster, K.; Lasinski, B. F.; Langdon, B.; MacKinnon, A. J.; Lei, A.; Moon, S. J.; Murphy, C. D.; Norreys, P. A.; Park, H. S.; Patel, N.; Patel, P.; Pasley, J.; Snavely, R. A.; Stephens, R. B.; Stoeckl, C.; Tabak, M.; Tampo, M.; Theobold, W.; Tanaka, K. A.; Town, R. J. P.; Toyama, Y.; Tsutsumi, T.; Wilks, S. C.; Yabuuchi, T.; Zhang, B.; Zheng, J.
2005-01-01
The results of recent collaborative experimental campaigns at the RAL PW and 100 TW and Gekko PW laser facilities, which have extended our understanding of electron and proton heating for fast ignition are presented. Heating by electrons has been measured by imaging Cu Ka fluorescence, from crystal and single hit CCD spectroscopy of Cu K shell emission, from two color XUV imaging (68eV and 270 eV) and from streaked 68eV imaging. Heating in solid foil targets, ultra- low mass foil targets and cone targets coupled to fibers and other FI surrogates has been studied using 0.5 to 10 ps pulse duration and powers up to 1 PW. Cone coupling to an imploded plasma has been examined using Cu Ka to diagnose the electron flux in the imploded material. Heating by focused proton beams generated at the concave inside surface of a hemi shell has been studied with similar diagnostic methods. Temperatures at the rear surface of proton heated solid foils have exceeded those produced by direct electron heating. Variation of heating with depth and the transverse pattern of heating have been measured. The spatial distribution of electron flux in a Cu hemi- shell used as a proton source has been determined by imaging Ka fluorescence. Conversion efficiency to protons has been measured from radio-chromic film data. Conclusions from the experiments, links to theoretical understanding and relevance to fast ignition are outlined. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract No. W-7405-Eng-48. (Author)
Design of an ignition target for the laser megajoule, mitigating parametric instabilities
Laffite, S.; Loiseau, P.
2010-10-01
Laser plasma interaction (LPI) is a critical issue in ignition target design. Based on both scaling laws and two-dimensional calculations, this article describes how we can constrain a laser megajoule (LMJ) [J. Ebrardt and J. M. Chaput, J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 112, 032005 (2008)] target design by mitigating LPI. An ignition indirect drive target has been designed for the 2/3 LMJ step. It requires 0.9 MJ and 260 TW of laser energy and power, to achieve a temperature of 300 eV in a rugby-shaped Hohlraum and give a yield of about 20 MJ. The study focuses on the analysis of linear gain for stimulated Raman and Brillouin scatterings. Enlarging the focal spot is an obvious way to reduce linear gains. We show that this reduction is nonlinear with the focal spot size. For relatively small focal spot area, linear gains are significantly reduced by enlarging the focal spot. However, there is no benefit in too large focal spots because of necessary larger laser entrance holes, which require more laser energy. Furthermore, this leads to the existence, for a given design, of a minimum value for linear gains for which we cannot go below.
Design of an ignition target for the laser megajoule, mitigating parametric instabilities
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Laffite, S.; Loiseau, P.
2010-01-01
Laser plasma interaction (LPI) is a critical issue in ignition target design. Based on both scaling laws and two-dimensional calculations, this article describes how we can constrain a laser megajoule (LMJ) [J. Ebrardt and J. M. Chaput, J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 112, 032005 (2008)] target design by mitigating LPI. An ignition indirect drive target has been designed for the 2/3 LMJ step. It requires 0.9 MJ and 260 TW of laser energy and power, to achieve a temperature of 300 eV in a rugby-shaped Hohlraum and give a yield of about 20 MJ. The study focuses on the analysis of linear gain for stimulated Raman and Brillouin scatterings. Enlarging the focal spot is an obvious way to reduce linear gains. We show that this reduction is nonlinear with the focal spot size. For relatively small focal spot area, linear gains are significantly reduced by enlarging the focal spot. However, there is no benefit in too large focal spots because of necessary larger laser entrance holes, which require more laser energy. Furthermore, this leads to the existence, for a given design, of a minimum value for linear gains for which we cannot go below.
The national ignition facility: path to ignition in the laboratory
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Moses, E.I.; Bonanno, R.E.; Haynam, C.A.; Kauffman, R.L.; MacGowan, B.J.; Patterson Jr, R.W.; Sawicki, R.H.; Van Wonterghem, B.M.
2007-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a 192-beam laser facility presently under construction at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. When completed, NIF will be a 1.8-MJ, 500-TW ultraviolet laser system. Its missions are to obtain fusion ignition of deuterium-tritium plasmas in ICF (Inertial Confinement Fusion) targets and to perform high energy density experiments in support of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. The NIF facility will consist of 2 laser bays, 4 capacitor areas, 2 laser switchyards, the target area and the building core. The laser is configured in 4 clusters of 48 beams, 2 in each laser bay. Four of the NIF beams have been already commissioned to demonstrate laser performance and to commission the target area including target and beam alignment and laser timing. During this time, NIF has demonstrated on a single-beam basis that it will meet its performance goals and has demonstrated its precision and flexibility for pulse shaping, pointing, timing and beam conditioning. It also performed 4 important experiments for ICF and High Energy Density Science. Presently, the project is installing production hardware to complete the project in 2009 with the goal to begin ignition experiments in 2010. An integrated plan has been developed including the NIF operations, user equipment such as diagnostics and cryogenic target capability, and experiments and calculations to meet this goal. This talk will provide NIF status, the plan to complete NIF, and the path to ignition. (authors)
Ignition target and laser-plasma instabilities
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Laffite, S.; Loiseau, P.
2010-01-01
For the first time indirect drive ignition targets have been designed with the constraint of limiting laser-plasma instabilities. The amplification of these instabilities is directly proportional to the luminous flux density, it means to the sizes of the focal spots too. This study shows that increasing the sizes of the focal spots does not reduce linear amplification gains in a proportional way because the global optimization of the target implies changes in hydrodynamical conditions that in turn have an impact on the value of the amplification gain. The design of the target is a 2-step approach: the first step aims at assuring a uniform irradiation and compression of the target. The first step requires information concerning the laser focusing spots, the dimensions of the hohlraum, the inert gas contained in it, the materials of the wall. The second step is an optimization approach whose aim is to reduce the risk of laser-plasmas instabilities. This optimization is made through simulations of the amplification gains of stimulated Raman and Brillouin backscattering. This method has allowed us to design an optimized target for a rugby-shaped hohlraum. (A.C.)
Progress Toward Ignition on the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kauffman, R.L.
2011-01-01
The principal approach to ignition on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is indirect drive. A schematic of an ignition target is shown in Figure 1. The laser beams are focused through laser entrance holes at each end of a high-Z cylindrical case, or hohlraum. The lasers irradiate the hohlraum walls producing x-rays that ablate and compress the fuel capsule in the center of the hohlraum. The hohlraum is made of Au, U, or other high-Z material. For ignition targets, the hohlraum is ∼0.5 cm diameter by ∼1 cm in length. The hohlraum absorbs the incident laser energy producing x-rays for symmetrically imploding the capsule. The fuel capsule is a ∼2-mm-diameter spherical shell of CH, Be, or C filled with DT fuel. The DT fuel is in the form of a cryogenic layer on the inside of the capsule. X-rays ablate the outside of the capsule, producing a spherical implosion. The imploding shell stagnates in the center, igniting the DT fuel. NIC has overseen installation of all of the hardware for performing ignition experiments, including commissioning of approximately 50 diagnostic systems in NIF. The diagnostics measure scattered optical light, x-rays from the hohlraum over the energy range from 100 eV to 500 keV, and x-rays, neutrons, and charged particles from the implosion. An example of a diagnostic is the Magnetic Recoil Spectrometer (MRS) built by a collaboration of scientists from MIT, UR-LLE, and LLNL shown in Figure 2. MRS measures the neutron spectrum from the implosion, providing information on the neutron yield and areal density that are metrics of the quality of the implosion. Experiments on NIF extend ICF research to unexplored regimes in target physics. NIF can produce more than 50 times the laser energy and more than 20 times the power of any previous ICF facility. Ignition scale hohlraum targets are three to four times larger than targets used at smaller facilities, and the ignition drive pulses are two to five times longer. The larger targets and longer
Target design for shock ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Schurtz, G; Ribeyre, X; Lafon, M
2010-01-01
The conventional approach of laser driven inertial fusion involves the implosion of cryogenic shells of deuterium-tritium ice. At sufficiently high implosion velocities, the fuel ignites by itself from a central hot spot. In order to reduce the risks of hydrodynamic instabilities inherent to large implosion velocities, it was proposed to compress the fuel at low velocity, and ignite the compressed fuel by means of a convergent shock wave driven by an intense spike at the end of the laser pulse. This scheme, known as shock ignition, reduces the risks of shell break-up during the acceleration phase, but it may be impeded by a low coupling efficiency of the laser pulse with plasma at high intensities. This work provides a relationship between the implosion velocity and the laser intensity required to ignite the target by a shock. The operating domain of shock ignition at different energies is described.
Birtas, A.; Boicea, N.; Draghici, F.; Chiriac, R.; Croitoru, G.; Dinca, M.; Dascalu, T.; Pavel, N.
2017-10-01
Performance and exhaust emissions of spark ignition engines are strongly dependent on the development of the combustion process. Controlling this process in order to improve the performance and to reduce emissions by ensuring rapid and robust combustion depends on how ignition stage is achieved. An ignition system that seems to be able for providing such an enhanced combustion process is that based on plasma generation using a Q-switched solid state laser that delivers pulses with high peak power (of MW-order level). The laser-spark devices used in the present investigations were realized using compact diffusion-bonded Nd:YAG/Cr4+:YAG ceramic media. The laser igniter was designed, integrated and built to resemble a classical spark plug and therefore it could be mounted directly on the cylinder head of a passenger car engine. In this study are reported the results obtained using such ignition system provided for a K7M 710 engine currently produced by Renault-Dacia, where the standard calibrations were changed towards the lean mixtures combustion zone. Results regarding the performance, the exhaust emissions and the combustion characteristics in optimized spark timing conditions, which demonstrate the potential of such an innovative ignition system, are presented.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Perkins, L.J.; Betti, R.; Schurtz, G.P.; Craxton, R.S.; Dunne, A.M.; LaFortune, K.N.; Schmitt, A.J.; McKenty, P.W.; Bailey, D.S.; Lambert, M.A.; Ribeyre, X.; Theobald, W.R.; Strozzi, D.J.; Harding, D.R.; Casner, A.; Atzemi, S.; Erbert, G.V.; Andersen, K.S.; Murakami, M.; Comley, A.J.; Cook, R.C.; Stephens, R.B.
2010-01-01
Shock ignition, a new concept for igniting thermonuclear fuel, offers the possibility for a near-term (∼3-4 years) test of high gain inertial confinement fusion on the National Ignition Facility at less than 1MJ drive energy and without the need for new laser hardware. In shock ignition, compressed fusion fuel is separately ignited by a strong spherically converging shock and, because capsule implosion velocities are significantly lower than those required for conventional hotpot ignition, fusion energy gains of ∼60 may be achievable on NIF at laser drive energies around ∼0.5MJ. Because of the simple all-DT target design, its in-flight robustness, the potential need for only 1D SSD beam smoothing, minimal early time LPI preheat, and use of present (indirect drive) laser hardware, this target may be easier to field on NIF than a conventional (polar) direct drive hotspot ignition target. Like fast ignition, shock ignition has the potential for high fusion yields at low drive energy, but requires only a single laser with less demanding timing and spatial focusing requirements. Of course, conventional symmetry and stability constraints still apply. In this paper we present initial target performance simulations, delineate the critical issues and describe the immediate-term R and D program that must be performed in order to test the potential of a high gain shock ignition target on NIF in the near term.
Symmetry tuning with megajoule laser pulses at the National Ignition Facility
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kline J.L.
2013-11-01
Full Text Available Experiments conducted at the National Ignition Facility using shaped laser pulses with more than 1 MJ of energy have demonstrated the ability to control the implosion symmetry under ignition conditions. To achieve thermonuclear ignition, the low mode asymmetries must be small to minimize the size of the hotspot. The symmetry tuning experiments use symmetry capsules, “symcaps”, which replace the DT fuel with an equivalent mass of CH to emulate the hydrodynamic behavior of an ignition capsule. The x-ray self-emission signature from gas inside the capsule during the peak compression correlates with the surrounding hotspot shape. By tuning the shape of the self-emission, the capsule implosion symmetry can be made to be “round.” In the experimental results presented here, we utilized crossbeam energy transfer [S. H. Glenzer, et al., Science 327, 1228 (2010] to change the ratio of the inner to outer cone power inside the hohlraum targets on the NIF. Variations in the ratio of the inner cone to outer cone power affect the radiation pattern incident on the capsule modifying the implosion symmetry.
Mokrani, Nabil; Gillard, Philippe
2018-03-26
This paper presents a physical and statistical approach to laser-induced breakdown in n-decane/N 2 + O 2 mixtures as a function of incident or absorbed energy. A parametric study, with pressure, fuel purity and equivalence ratio, was conducted to determine the incident and absorbed energies involved in producing breakdown, followed or not by ignition. The experiments were performed using a Q-switched Nd-YAG laser (1064 nm) inside a cylindrical 1-l combustion chamber in the range of 1-100 mJ of incident energy. A stochastic study of breakdown and ignition probabilities showed that the mixture composition had a significant effect on ignition with large variation of incident or absorbed energy required to obtain 50% of breakdown. It was observed that the combustion products absorb more energy coming from the laser. The effect of pressure on the ignition probabilities of lean and near stoichiometric mixtures was also investigated. It was found that a high ignition energy E50% is required for lean mixtures at high pressures (3 bar). The present study provides new data obtained on an original experimental setup and the results, close to laboratory-produced laser ignition phenomena, will enhance the understanding of initial conditions on the breakdown or ignition probabilities for different mixtures. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Shock ignition targets: gain and robustness vs ignition threshold factor
Atzeni, Stefano; Antonelli, Luca; Schiavi, Angelo; Picone, Silvia; Volponi, Gian Marco; Marocchino, Alberto
2017-10-01
Shock ignition is a laser direct-drive inertial confinement fusion scheme, in which the stages of compression and hot spot formation are partly separated. The hot spot is created at the end of the implosion by a converging shock driven by a final ``spike'' of the laser pulse. Several shock-ignition target concepts have been proposed and relevant gain curves computed (see, e.g.). Here, we consider both pure-DT targets and more facility-relevant targets with plastic ablator. The investigation is conducted with 1D and 2D hydrodynamic simulations. We determine ignition threshold factors ITF's (and their dependence on laser pulse parameters) by means of 1D simulations. 2D simulations indicate that robustness to long-scale perturbations increases with ITF. Gain curves (gain vs laser energy), for different ITF's, are generated using 1D simulations. Work partially supported by Sapienza Project C26A15YTMA, Sapienza 2016 (n. 257584), Eurofusion Project AWP17-ENR-IFE-CEA-01.
Thermonuclear targets for direct-drive ignition by a megajoule laser pulse
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bel’kov, S. A.; Bondarenko, S. V. [Russian Federal Nuclear Center, All-Russia Research Institute of Experimental Physics (Russian Federation); Vergunova, G. A. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Lebedev Physical Institute (Russian Federation); Garanin, S. G. [Russian Federal Nuclear Center, All-Russia Research Institute of Experimental Physics (Russian Federation); Gus’kov, S. Yu., E-mail: guskov@sci.lebedev.ru; Demchenko, N. N.; Doskoch, I. Ya.; Kuchugov, P. A. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Lebedev Physical Institute (Russian Federation); Zmitrenko, N. V. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics (Russian Federation); Rozanov, V. B.; Stepanov, R. V.; Yakhin, R. A. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Lebedev Physical Institute (Russian Federation)
2015-10-15
Central ignition of a thin two-layer-shell fusion target that is directly driven by a 2-MJ profiled pulse of Nd laser second-harmonic radiation has been studied. The parameters of the target were selected so as to provide effective acceleration of the shell toward the center, which was sufficient for the onset of ignition under conditions of increased hydrodynamic stability of the ablator acceleration and compression. The aspect ratio of the inner deuterium-tritium layer of the shell does not exceed 15, provided that a major part (above 75%) of the outer layer (plastic ablator) is evaporated by the instant of maximum compression. The investigation is based on two series of numerical calculations that were performed using one-dimensional (1D) hydrodynamic codes. The first 1D code was used to calculate the absorption of the profiled laser-radiation pulse (including calculation of the total absorption coefficient with allowance for the inverse bremsstrahlung and resonance mechanisms) and the spatial distribution of target heating for a real geometry of irradiation using 192 laser beams in a scheme of focusing with a cubo-octahedral symmetry. The second 1D code was used for simulating the total cycle of target evolution under the action of absorbed laser radiation and for determining the thermonuclear gain that was achieved with a given target.
Fast electron transport in shaped solid targets
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Anle Lei; Cao, L.H.; He, X.T.; Zhang, W.Y.; Tanaka, K.A.; Kodama, R.; Mima, K.; Nakamura, T.; Normatsu, T.; Yu, W.
2010-01-01
Complete text of publication follows. The scheme of fast ignition fusion energy relies on the ultra-intense ultra-short (UIUS) laser energy transport into the compressed core plasma. One solution is to insert a hollow cone in the fuel shell to block the UIUS laser from the coronal plasma, thus allowing it to reach the core plasma. The cone not only can guide the UIUS laser to its tip, but can play important roles in the specific cone-in-shell target designed for FI. It was found in a PIC simulation that the cone can guide the fast electrons generated at the inner wall to propagate along the wall surface toward its tip, which would increase the energy density at the tip and might enhance the heating of the core plasma. Surface guiding of fast electrons with planar foil targets has been demonstrated experimentally. However, the guided fast electrons will mix the electrons generated ahead by the laser light with a planar target, and hence one cannot experimentally quantitatively validate the guide of the fast electrons. We investigate the cone guiding of fast electrons with an inverse cone target. We found a novel surface current of fast electrons propagating along the cone wall. The fast electrons generated at the planar outer tip of the inverse cone are guided and confined to propagate along the inverse cone wall to form a surface current by induced transient electric and magnetic fields associated with the current itself. Once departing from the source at the outer tip, this surface current of fast electrons is 'clean', neither experiencing the interacting laser light nor mixing fast electrons ahead, unlike those in cone or planar targets. This surface current in the inverse cone may explicitly give the capability of the guide of fast electron energy by the cone wall. The guiding and confinement of fast electrons is of important for fast ignition in inertial confinement fusion and several applications in high energy density science.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mullett, J D; Dodd, R; Williams, C J; Triantos, G; Dearden, G; Shenton, A T; Watkins, K G; Carroll, S D; Scarisbrick, A D; Keen, S
2007-01-01
This work involves a study on laser ignition (LI) in an internal combustion (IC) engine and investigates the effects on control of engine combustion performance and stability of varying specific laser parameters (beam energy, beam quality, minimum beam waist size, focal point volume and focal length). A Q-switched Nd : YAG laser operating at the fundamental wavelength 1064 nm was successfully used to ignite homogeneous stoichiometric gasoline and air mixtures in one cylinder of a 1.6 litre IC test engine, where the remaining three cylinders used conventional electrical spark ignition (SI). A direct comparison between LI and conventional SI is presented in terms of changes in coefficient of variability in indicated mean effective pressure (COV IMEP ) and the variance in the peak cylinder pressure position (Var PPP ). The laser was individually operated in three different modes by changing the diameter of the cavity aperture, where the results show that for specific parameters, LI performed better than SI in terms of combustion performance and stability. Minimum ignition energies for misfire free combustion ranging from 4 to 28 mJ were obtained for various optical and laser configurations and were compared with the equivalent minimum optical breakdown energies in air
Influence of laser induced hot electrons on the threshold for shock ignition of fusion reactions
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Colaïtis, A.; Ribeyre, X.; Le Bel, E.; Duchateau, G.; Nicolaï, Ph.; Tikhonchuk, V. [Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications, Université de Bordeaux - CNRS - CEA, UMR 5107,351 Cours de la Libération, 33400 Talence (France)
2016-07-15
The effects of Hot Electrons (HEs) generated by the nonlinear Laser-Plasma Interaction (LPI) on the dynamics of Shock Ignition Inertial Confinement Fusion targets are investigated. The coupling between the laser beam, plasma dynamics and hot electron generation and propagation is described with a radiative hydrodynamics code using an inline model based on Paraxial Complex Geometrical Optics [Colaïtis et al., Phys. Rev. E 92, 041101 (2015)]. Two targets are considered: the pure-DT HiPER target and a CH-DT design with baseline spike powers of the order of 200–300 TW. In both cases, accounting for the LPI-generated HEs leads to non-igniting targets when using the baseline spike powers. While HEs are found to increase the ignitor shock pressure, they also preheat the bulk of the imploding shell, notably causing its expansion and contamination of the hotspot with the dense shell material before the time of shock convergence. The associated increase in hotspot mass (i) increases the ignitor shock pressure required to ignite the fusion reactions and (ii) significantly increases the power losses through Bremsstrahlung X-ray radiation, thus rapidly cooling the hotspot. These effects are less prominent for the CH-DT target where the plastic ablator shields the lower energy LPI-HE spectrum. Simulations using higher laser spike powers of 500 TW suggest that the CH-DT capsule marginally ignites, with an ignition window width significantly smaller than without LPI-HEs, and with three quarters of the baseline target yield. The latter effect arises from the relation between the shock launching time and the shell areal density, which becomes relevant in presence of a LPI-HE preheating.
Spatial filter lens design for the main laser of the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Korniski, R.J.
1998-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF), being designed and constructed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), comprises 192 laser beams The lasing medium is neodymium in phosphate glass with a fundamental frequency (1ω) of 1 053microm Sum frequency generation in a pair of conversion crystals (KDP/KD*P) will produce 1 8 megajoules of the third harmonic light (3ω or λ=351microm) at the target The purpose of this paper is to provide the lens design community with the current lens design details of the large optics in the Main Laser This paper describes the lens design configuration and design considerations of the Main Laser The Main Laser is 123 meters long and includes two spatial filters one 13 5 meters and one 60 meters These spatial filters perform crucial beam filtering and relaying functions We shall describe the significant lens design aspects of these spatial filter lenses which allow them to successfully deliver the appropriate beam characteristic onto the target For an overview of NIF please see ''Optical system design of the National Ignition Facility,'' by R Edward English. et al also found in this volume
Laser plasma physics in shock ignition – transition from collisional to collisionless absorption
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Klimo O.
2013-11-01
Full Text Available Shock Ignition is considered as a relatively robust and efficient approach to inertial confinement fusion. A strong converging shock, which is used to ignite the fuel, is launched by a high power laser pulse with intensity in the range of 1015 − 1016 W/cm2 (at the wavelength of 351 nm. In the lower end of this intensity range the interaction is dominated by collisions while the parametric instabilities are playing a secondary role. This is manifested in a relatively weak reflectivity and efficient electron heating. The interaction is dominated by collective effects at the upper edge of the intensity range. The stimulated Brillouin and Raman scattering (SBS and SRS respectively take place in a less dense plasma and cavitation provides an efficient collisionless absorption mechanism. The transition from collisional to collisionless absorption in laser plasma interactions at higher intensities is studied here with the help of large scale one-dimensional Particle-in-Cell (PIC simulations. The relation between the collisional and collisionless processes is manifested in the energy spectrum of electrons transporting the absorbed laser energy and in the spectrum of the reflected laser light.
Electron Shock Ignition of Inertial Fusion Targets
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Shang, W. L.; Betti, R.; Hu, S. X.; Woo, K.; Hao, L.
2017-01-01
Here, it is shown that inertial fusion targets designed with low implosion velocities can be shock ignited using laser–plasma interaction generated hot electrons (hot-e) to obtain high-energy gains. These designs are robust to multimode asymmetries and are predicted to ignite even for significantly distorted implosions. Electron shock ignition requires tens of kilojoules of hot-e, which can only be produced on a large laser facility like the National Ignition Facility, with the laser to hot-e conversion efficiency greater than 10% at laser intensities ~10 16 W/cm 2 .
Shock ignition of high gain inertial fusion capsules
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Schurtz, G.; Ribeyre, X.; Lebel, E.; Casner, A.
2010-01-01
Complete text of publication follows. Inertial Confinement Fusion relies on the compression of small amounts of an equimolar mix of Deuterium and Tritium (DT) up to volumic masses of several hundreds of g/cm 3 . Such high densities are obtained by means of the implosion of a spherical shell made of cryogenic DT fuel. In the conventional scheme a hot spot is formed in the central part of the pellet at the end of the implosion. If the pressure of this hot spot is large enough (several hundreds of Gbars), thermonuclear heating occurs with a characteristic time shorter than the hydrodynamic confinement time and the target self ignites. Since the central hot spot pressure results from the conversion of the shell kinetic energy into thermal energy, the threshold for the ignition of a given mass of DT is a direct function of the implosion velocity. Typical implosion velocities for central self ignition are of the order of 400 km/s. Such high velocities imply both a strong acceleration of the shell and the use of large aspect ration shells in order to optimize the hydrodynamic efficiency of the implosion, at least in direct drive. These two features strongly enhance the risk of shell beak up at time of acceleration under the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Furthermore the formation of the hot spot may itself the unstable, this reducing its effective mass. High compression may be achieved at much lower velocities, thus reducing the energy budget and enhancing the implosion safety, but the corresponding fuel assembly requires an additional heating in order to reach ignition. This heating may be obtained from a 70-100 kJ laser pulse, delivered in 10-15 ps (Fast Ignition). An alternative idea is to boost up the central pressure of a target imploded at a sub-ignition velocity by means of a convergent strong shock launched at the end of the compression phase. This Shock Ignition (SI) concept has been suggested in 1983 by Scherbakov et al. More recently, R. Betti et al. developed
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Murakami, M.; Nagatomo, H.; Johzaki, T.
2010-11-01
In impact ignition scheme, a portion of the fuel (the impactor) is accelerated to a super-high velocity, compressed by convergence, and collided with a precompressed main fuel. This collision generates shock waves in both the impactor and the main fuel. Since the density of the impactor is generally much lower than that of the main fuel, the pressure balance ensures that the shock-heated temperature of the impactor is significantly higher than that of the main fuel. Hence, the impactor can reach ignition temperature and thus become an igniter. Here we report major new results on recent impact ignition research: (1) A maximum velocity ∼ 1000 km/s has been achieved under the operation of NIKE KrF laser at Naval Research Laboratory (laser wavelength=0.25μm) in the use of a planar target made of plastic and (2) We have performed two-dimensional simulation for burn and ignition to show the feasibility of the impact ignition. (author)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Mullett, J D [Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GH (United Kingdom); Dodd, R [Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GH (United Kingdom); Williams, C J [Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GH (United Kingdom); Triantos, G [Powertrain Control Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GH (United Kingdom); Dearden, G [Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GH (United Kingdom); Shenton, A T [Powertrain Control Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GH (United Kingdom); Watkins, K G [Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GH (United Kingdom); Carroll, S D [Ford Motor Company, Dunton Research and Engineering Centre, Laindon, Basildon, Essex, SS15 6EE (United Kingdom); Scarisbrick, A D [Ford Motor Company, Dunton Research and Engineering Centre, Laindon, Basildon, Essex, SS15 6EE (United Kingdom); Keen, S [GSI Group, Cosford Lane, Swift Valley, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV21 1QN (United Kingdom)
2007-08-07
This work involves a study on laser ignition (LI) in an internal combustion (IC) engine and investigates the effects on control of engine combustion performance and stability of varying specific laser parameters (beam energy, beam quality, minimum beam waist size, focal point volume and focal length). A Q-switched Nd : YAG laser operating at the fundamental wavelength 1064 nm was successfully used to ignite homogeneous stoichiometric gasoline and air mixtures in one cylinder of a 1.6 litre IC test engine, where the remaining three cylinders used conventional electrical spark ignition (SI). A direct comparison between LI and conventional SI is presented in terms of changes in coefficient of variability in indicated mean effective pressure (COV{sub IMEP}) and the variance in the peak cylinder pressure position (Var{sub PPP}). The laser was individually operated in three different modes by changing the diameter of the cavity aperture, where the results show that for specific parameters, LI performed better than SI in terms of combustion performance and stability. Minimum ignition energies for misfire free combustion ranging from 4 to 28 mJ were obtained for various optical and laser configurations and were compared with the equivalent minimum optical breakdown energies in air.
Kojima, Hirokazu; Takahashi, Eiichi; Furutani, Hirohide
2014-01-13
The breakdown plasma and successive flow leading to combustion are controlled by the combination of a nano-second Nd:YAG laser and a femto-second Ti:Sapphire (TiS) laser. The behaviors are captured by an intensified charged coupled device (ICCD) camera and a high-speed schlieren optical system. The TiS laser determines the initial position of the breakdown by supplying the initial electrons in the optical axis of focusing YAG laser pulses. We show that the initial position of the breakdown can be controlled by the incident position of the TiS laser. In addition, the ignition lean limit of the flammable mixture changes depending on the TiS laser incident position, which is influenced by hot gas distribution and the flow in the flame kernel.
Hydrodynamic modeling and simulations of shock ignition thresholds
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Lafon M.
2013-11-01
Full Text Available The Shock Ignition (SI scheme [1] offers to reduce the laser requirements by relaxing the implosion phase to sub-ignition velocities and later adding an intense laser spike. Depending on laser energy, target characteristics and implosion velocity, high gains are expected [2,3]. Relevant intensities for scaled targets imploded in the velocity range from 150 to 400 km/s are defined at ignition thresholds. A range of moderate implosion velocities is specified to match safe implosions. These conditions for target design are then inferred for relevant NIF and LMJ shock-ignited targets.
Target designs for energetics experiments on the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Meezan, N B; Glenzer, S H; Suter, L J
2008-01-01
The goal of the first hohlraum energetics experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [G. H. Miller et al, Optical Eng. 43, 2841 (2004)] is to select the hohlraum design for the first ignition experiments. Sub-scale hohlraums heated by 96 of the 192 laser beams on the NIF are used to emulate the laser-plasma interaction behavior of ignition hohlraums. These 'plasma emulator' targets are 70% scale versions of the 1.05 MJ, 300 eV ignition hohlraum and have the same energy-density as the full-scale ignition designs. Radiation-hydrodynamics simulations show that the sub-scale target is a good emulator of plasma conditions inside the ignition hohlraum, reproducing density n e within 10% and temperature T e within 15% along a laser beam path. Linear backscatter gain analysis shows the backscatter risk to be comparable to that of the ignition target. A successful energetics campaign will allow the National Ignition Campaign to focus its efforts on optimizing ignition hohlraums with efficient laser coupling
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Nora, R.; Betti, R.; Bose, A.; Woo, K. M.; Christopherson, A. R.; Meyerhofer, D. D. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623-1299 (United States); Fusion Science Center, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623-1299 (United States); Department of Physics and/or Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623-1299 (United States); Anderson, K. S.; Shvydky, A.; Marozas, J. A.; Collins, T. J. B.; Radha, P. B.; Hu, S. X.; Epstein, R.; Marshall, F. J.; Sangster, T. C. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623-1299 (United States); McCrory, R. L. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623-1299 (United States); Department of Physics and/or Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623-1299 (United States)
2014-05-15
The theory of ignition for inertial confinement fusion capsules [R. Betti et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 058102 (2010)] is used to assess the performance requirements for cryogenic implosion experiments on the Omega Laser Facility. The theory of hydrodynamic similarity is developed in both one and two dimensions and tested using multimode hydrodynamic simulations with the hydrocode DRACO [P. B. Radha et al., Phys. Plasmas 12, 032702 (2005)] of hydro-equivalent implosions (implosions with the same implosion velocity, adiabat, and laser intensity). The theory is used to scale the performance of direct-drive OMEGA implosions to the National Ignition Facility (NIF) energy scales and determine the requirements for demonstrating hydro-equivalent ignition on OMEGA. Hydro-equivalent ignition on OMEGA is represented by a cryogenic implosion that would scale to ignition on the NIF at 1.8 MJ of laser energy symmetrically illuminating the target. It is found that a reasonable combination of neutron yield and areal density for OMEGA hydro-equivalent ignition is 3 to 6 × 10{sup 13} and ∼0.3 g/cm{sup 2}, respectively, depending on the level of laser imprinting. This performance has not yet been achieved on OMEGA.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Nora, R.; Betti, R.; Bose, A.; Woo, K. M.; Christopherson, A. R.; Meyerhofer, D. D.; Anderson, K. S.; Shvydky, A.; Marozas, J. A.; Collins, T. J. B.; Radha, P. B.; Hu, S. X.; Epstein, R.; Marshall, F. J.; Sangster, T. C.; McCrory, R. L.
2014-01-01
The theory of ignition for inertial confinement fusion capsules [R. Betti et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 058102 (2010)] is used to assess the performance requirements for cryogenic implosion experiments on the Omega Laser Facility. The theory of hydrodynamic similarity is developed in both one and two dimensions and tested using multimode hydrodynamic simulations with the hydrocode DRACO [P. B. Radha et al., Phys. Plasmas 12, 032702 (2005)] of hydro-equivalent implosions (implosions with the same implosion velocity, adiabat, and laser intensity). The theory is used to scale the performance of direct-drive OMEGA implosions to the National Ignition Facility (NIF) energy scales and determine the requirements for demonstrating hydro-equivalent ignition on OMEGA. Hydro-equivalent ignition on OMEGA is represented by a cryogenic implosion that would scale to ignition on the NIF at 1.8 MJ of laser energy symmetrically illuminating the target. It is found that a reasonable combination of neutron yield and areal density for OMEGA hydro-equivalent ignition is 3 to 6 × 10 13 and ∼0.3 g/cm 2 , respectively, depending on the level of laser imprinting. This performance has not yet been achieved on OMEGA
Vendor-based laser damage metrology equipment supporting the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Campbell, J. H; Jennings, R. T.; Kimmons, J. F.; Kozlowski, M. R.; Mouser, R. P.; Schwatz, S.; Stolz, C. J.; Weinzapfel, C. L.
1998-01-01
A sizable laser damage metrology effort is required as part of optics production and installation for the 192 beam National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser. The large quantities, high damage thresholds, and large apertures of polished and coated optics necessitates vendor-based metrology equipment to assure component quality during production. This equipment must be optimized to provide the required information as rapidly as possible with limited operator experience. The damage metrology tools include: (1) platinum inclusion damage test systems for laser amplifier slabs, (2) laser conditioning stations for mirrors and polarizers, and (3) mapping and damage testing stations for UV transmissive optics. Each system includes a commercial Nd:YAG laser, a translation stage for the optics, and diagnostics to evaluate damage. The scanning parameters, optical layout, and diagnostics vary with the test fluences required and the damage morphologies expected. This paper describes the technical objectives and milestones involved in fulfilling these metrology requirements
A polar-drive shock-ignition design for the National Ignition Facility
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Anderson, K. S.; McKenty, P. W.; Collins, T. J. B.; Craxton, R. S.; Delettrez, J. A.; Marozas, J. A.; Skupsky, S.; Shvydky, A. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Betti, R. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Fusion Science Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Physics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627 (United States); Hohenberger, M.; Theobald, W.; Lafon, M.; Nora, R. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Fusion Science Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States)
2013-05-15
Shock ignition [R. Betti et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 155001 (2007)] is being pursued as a viable option to achieve ignition on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Shock-ignition target designs use a high-intensity laser spike at the end of a low-adiabat assembly pulse to launch a spherically convergent strong shock to ignite the hot spot of an imploding capsule. A shock-ignition target design for the NIF is presented. One-dimensional simulations indicate an ignition threshold factor of 4.1 with a gain of 58. A polar-drive beam-pointing configuration for shock-ignition experiments on the NIF at 750 kJ is proposed. The capsule design is shown to be robust to the various one- and two-dimensional effects and nonuniformities anticipated on the NIF. The target is predicted to ignite with a gain of 38 when including all anticipated levels of nonuniformity and system uncertainty.
Short Pulse Laser Applications Design
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Town, R.J.; Clark, D.S.; Kemp, A.J.; Lasinski, B.F.; Tabak, M.
2008-01-01
We are applying our recently developed, LDRD-funded computational simulation tool to optimize and develop applications of Fast Ignition (FI) for stockpile stewardship. This report summarizes the work performed during a one-year exploratory research LDRD to develop FI point designs for the National Ignition Facility (NIF). These results were sufficiently encouraging to propose successfully a strategic initiative LDRD to design and perform the definitive FI experiment on the NIF. Ignition experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) will begin in 2010 using the central hot spot (CHS) approach, which relies on the simultaneous compression and ignition of a spherical fuel capsule. Unlike this approach, the fast ignition (FI) method separates fuel compression from the ignition phase. In the compression phase, a laser such as NIF is used to implode a shell either directly, or by x rays generated from the hohlraum wall, to form a compact dense (∼300 g/cm 3 ) fuel mass with an areal density of ∼3.0 g/cm 2 . To ignite such a fuel assembly requires depositing ∼20kJ into a ∼35 (micro)m spot delivered in a short time compared to the fuel disassembly time (∼20ps). This energy is delivered during the ignition phase by relativistic electrons generated by the interaction of an ultra-short high-intensity laser. The main advantages of FI over the CHS approach are higher gain, a lower ignition threshold, and a relaxation of the stringent symmetry requirements required by the CHS approach. There is worldwide interest in FI and its associated science. Major experimental facilities are being constructed which will enable 'proof of principle' tests of FI in integrated subignition experiments, most notably the OMEGA-EP facility at the University of Rochester's Laboratory of Laser Energetics and the FIREX facility at Osaka University in Japan. Also, scientists in the European Union have recently proposed the construction of a new FI facility, called HiPER, designed to
Image processing for the Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC) at the National Ignition Facility
Leach, Richard R.; Awwal, Abdul A. S.; Lowe-Webb, Roger; Miller-Kamm, Victoria; Orth, Charles; Roberts, Randy; Wilhelmsen, Karl
2016-09-01
The Advance Radiographic Capability (ARC) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a laser system that employs up to four petawatt (PW) lasers to produce a sequence of short-pulse kilo-Joule laser pulses with controllable delays that generate X-rays to provide backlighting for high-density internal confinement fusion (ICF) capsule targets. Multi-frame, hard-X-ray radiography of imploding NIF capsules is a capability which is critical to the success of NIF's missions. ARC is designed to employ up to eight backlighters with tens-of-picosecond temporal resolution, to record the dynamics and produce an X-ray "motion picture" of the compression and ignition of cryogenic deuterium-tritium targets. ARC will generate tens-of-picosecond temporal resolution during the critical phases of ICF shots. Additionally, ARC supports a variety of other high energy density experiments including fast ignition studies on NIF. The automated alignment image analysis algorithms use digital camera sensor images to direct ARC beams onto the tens-of-microns scale metal wires. This paper describes the ARC automatic alignment sequence throughout the laser chain from pulse initiation to target with an emphasis on the image processing algorithms that generate the crucial alignment positions for ARC. The image processing descriptions and flow diagrams detail the alignment control loops throughout the ARC laser chain beginning in the ARC high-contrast front end (HCAFE), on into the ARC main laser area, and ending in the ARC target area.
Thermoplasmonic Ignition of Metal Nanoparticles.
Mutlu, Mehmet; Kang, Ju-Hyung; Raza, Søren; Schoen, David; Zheng, Xiaolin; Kik, Pieter G; Brongersma, Mark L
2018-03-14
Explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics are energetic materials that can store and quickly release tremendous amounts of chemical energy. Aluminum (Al) is a particularly important fuel in many applications because of its high energy density, which can be released in a highly exothermic oxidation process. The diffusive oxidation mechanism (DOM) and melt-dispersion mechanism (MDM) explain the ways powders of Al nanoparticles (NPs) can burn, but little is known about the possible use of plasmonic resonances in NPs to manipulate photoignition. This is complicated by the inhomogeneous nature of powders and very fast heating and burning rates. Here, we generate Al NPs with well-defined sizes, shapes, and spacings by electron beam lithography and demonstrate that their plasmonic resonances can be exploited to heat and ignite them with a laser. By combining simulations with thermal-emission, electron-, and optical-microscopy studies, we reveal how an improved control over NP ignition can be attained.
The physics basis for ignition using indirect-drive targets on the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lindl, John D.; Amendt, Peter; Berger, Richard L.; Glendinning, S. Gail; Glenzer, Siegfried H.; Haan, Steven W.; Kauffman, Robert L.; Landen, Otto L.; Suter, Laurence J.
2004-01-01
The 1990 National Academy of Science final report of its review of the Inertial Confinement Fusion Program recommended completion of a series of target physics objectives on the 10-beam Nova laser at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as the highest-priority prerequisite for proceeding with construction of an ignition-scale laser facility, now called the National Ignition Facility (NIF). These objectives were chosen to demonstrate that there was sufficient understanding of the physics of ignition targets that the laser requirements for laboratory ignition could be accurately specified. This research on Nova, as well as additional research on the Omega laser at the University of Rochester, is the subject of this review. The objectives of the U.S. indirect-drive target physics program have been to experimentally demonstrate and predictively model hohlraum characteristics, as well as capsule performance in targets that have been scaled in key physics variables from NIF targets. To address the hohlraum and hydrodynamic constraints on indirect-drive ignition, the target physics program was divided into the Hohlraum and Laser-Plasma Physics (HLP) program and the Hydrodynamically Equivalent Physics (HEP) program. The HLP program addresses laser-plasma coupling, x-ray generation and transport, and the development of energy-efficient hohlraums that provide the appropriate spectral, temporal, and spatial x-ray drive. The HEP experiments address the issues of hydrodynamic instability and mix, as well as the effects of flux asymmetry on capsules that are scaled as closely as possible to ignition capsules (hydrodynamic equivalence). The HEP program also addresses other capsule physics issues associated with ignition, such as energy gain and energy loss to the fuel during implosion in the absence of alpha-particle deposition. The results from the Nova and Omega experiments approach the NIF requirements for most of the important ignition capsule parameters, including
Inertial fusion program in Japan and ignition experiment facility by laser
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Nakai, S.
1989-01-01
The recent progress in laser fusion research is remarkable with respect to obtaining the high density and high temperature plasma which produces thermonuclear neutrons of 10 13 per shot (pellet gain of 0.2%) and to the understanding of implosion physics. Data bases for laser fusion have been accumulated and technologies for advanced experiments have been developed, both of which enable us to make the reserarch step toward the fusion ignition experiment and the achievement of the breakeven condition, which is estimated to be possible with a 100 kJ blue laser. The demonstration of high gain pellets requires laser energy in the range MJ in blue light. The design studies of the MJ laser are continue in the framework of the solid state laser at ILE. The design studies on the commercial reactor of ICF have proceeded and several conceptual designs have been proposed. These designs utilize a liquid metal first wall and blanket which enable long life for commercial use. As a consequence, the ICF reactor has technically a high feasibility for commercial application. (orig.)
Ultra-intense, short pulse laser-plasma interactions with applications to the fast ignitor
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wilks, S.C.; Kruer, W.L.; Young, P.E.; Hammer, J.; Tabak, M.
1995-04-01
Due to the advent of chirped pulse amplification (CPA) as an efficient means of creating ultra-high intensity laser light (I > 5x10 17 W/cm 2 ) in pulses less than a few picoseconds, new ideas for achieving ignition and gain in DT targets with less than 1 megajoule of input energy are currently being pursued. Two types of powerful lasers are employed in this scheme: (1) channeling beams and (2) ignition beams. The current state of laser-plasma interactions relating to this fusion scheme will be discussed. In particular, plasma physics issues in the ultra-intense regime are crucial to the success of this scheme. We compare simulation and experimental results in this highly nonlinear regime
Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Hora, H.; Korn, Georg; Giuffrida, Lorenzo; Margarone, Daniele; Picciotto, A.; Krása, Josef; Jungwirth, Karel; Ullschmied, Jiří; Lalousis, P.; Eliezer, S.; Miley, G. H.; Moustaizis, S.; Mourou, G.
2015-01-01
Roč. 33, č. 4 (2015), s. 607-619 ISSN 0263-0346 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 ; RVO:61389021 Keywords : fusion energy without radiation problem * boron fusion by lasers * non-linear force-driven block ignition Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics; BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers (UFP-V) Impact factor: 1.649, year: 2015
Progress on LMJ targets for ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cherfils-Clerouin, C; Boniface, C; Bonnefille, M; Fremerye, P; Galmiche, D; Gauthier, P; Giorla, J; Lambert, F; Laffite, S; Liberatore, S; Loiseau, P; Malinie, G; Masse, L; Masson-Laborde, P E; Monteil, M C; Poggi, F; Seytor, P; Wagon, F; Willien, J L
2010-01-01
Targets designed to produce ignition on the Laser MegaJoule are presented. The LMJ experimental plans include the attempt of ignition and burn of an ICF capsule with 160 laser beams, delivering up to 1.4MJ and 380TW. New targets needing reduced laser energy with only a small decrease in robustness have then been designed for this purpose. Working specifically on the coupling efficiency parameter, i.e. the ratio of the energy absorbed by the capsule to the laser energy, has led to the design of a rugby-shaped cocktail hohlraum. 1D and 2D robustness evaluations of these different targets shed light on critical points for ignition, that can be traded off by tightening some specifications or by preliminary experimental and numerical tuning experiments.
Progress on LMJ targets for ignition
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Cherfils-Clerouin, C; Boniface, C; Bonnefille, M; Fremerye, P; Galmiche, D; Gauthier, P; Giorla, J; Lambert, F; Laffite, S; Liberatore, S; Loiseau, P; Malinie, G; Masse, L; Masson-Laborde, P E; Monteil, M C; Poggi, F; Seytor, P; Wagon, F; Willien, J L, E-mail: catherine.cherfils@cea.f [CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon (France)
2010-08-01
Targets designed to produce ignition on the Laser MegaJoule are presented. The LMJ experimental plans include the attempt of ignition and burn of an ICF capsule with 160 laser beams, delivering up to 1.4MJ and 380TW. New targets needing reduced laser energy with only a small decrease in robustness have then been designed for this purpose. Working specifically on the coupling efficiency parameter, i.e. the ratio of the energy absorbed by the capsule to the laser energy, has led to the design of a rugby-shaped cocktail hohlraum. 1D and 2D robustness evaluations of these different targets shed light on critical points for ignition, that can be traded off by tightening some specifications or by preliminary experimental and numerical tuning experiments.
Tracheostomy Tube Ignition During Microlaryngeal Surgery Using Diode Laser: A Case Report
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hsun-Mo Wang
2006-04-01
Full Text Available Ignition of the tracheal tube during laser microlaryngeal surgery under general anesthesia is an uncommon complication with potentially serious consequences. We present here a case of a patient with glottic stenosis following endotracheal intubation, who experienced this potentially catastrophic combustion during endoscopic arytenoidectomy, using a diode laser under general anesthesia via 60% FiO2, with an airway fire occurring at the tracheostomy tube and causing tubal damage and obstruction. The anesthetic connecting tube was immediately disconnected and the tracheostomy tube replaced. No adverse consequences to this patient's upper airway were noted during follow-up visits. Higher oxygen concentrations, the presence of combustibles, and the narrowness of the surgical field during endolaryngeal diode laser surgery are risk factors for airway fires.
Shock ignition of thermonuclear fuel: principles and modelling
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Atzeni, S.; Ribeyre, X.; Schurtz, G.; Schmitt, A.J.; Canaud, B.; Betti, R.; Perkins, L.J.
2014-01-01
Shock ignition is an approach to direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) in which the stages of compression and hot spot formation are partly separated. The fuel is first imploded at a lower velocity than in conventional ICF. Close to stagnation, an intense laser spike drives a strong converging shock, which contributes to hot spot formation. Shock ignition shows potentials for high gain at laser energies below 1 MJ, and could be tested on the National Ignition Facility or Laser MegaJoule. Shock ignition principles and modelling are reviewed in this paper. Target designs and computer-generated gain curves are presented and discussed. Limitations of present studies and research needs are outlined. (special topic)
The prospect of laser fusion energy
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yamanaka, C.
2000-01-01
The inertial confinement fusion research has developed remarkably in these 30 years, which enables us to scope the inertial fusion energy in the next century. The recent progress in the ICF is briefly reviewed. The GEKKO XII n d glass laser has succeeded to get the long cherished world's purpose that was to compress a D-T fuel up to 1000 times the normal density. The neutron yield was some what less than the expected value. The MJ laser system is under construction expecting to ignite and bum a fuel. The alternative way is to use a PW short pulse laser for the fast ignition. The inertial fusion energy strategy is described with economic overviews on IFE power plants. Various applications of IFE are summarized. (author)
Progress on LMJ targets for ignition
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Cherfils-Clerouin, C; Boniface, C; Bonnefille, M; Dattolo, E; Galmiche, D; Gauthier, P; Giorla, J; Laffite, S; Liberatore, S; Loiseau, P; Malinie, G; Masse, L; Masson-Laborde, P E; Monteil, M C; Poggi, F; Seytor, P; Wagon, F; Willien, J L, E-mail: catherine.cherfils@cea.f [CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon (France)
2009-12-15
Targets designed to produce ignition on the Laser Megajoule (LMJ) are being simulated in order to set specifications for target fabrication. The LMJ experimental plans include the attempt of ignition and burn of an ICF capsule with 160 laser beams, delivering up to 1.4 MJ and 380 TW. New targets needing reduced laser energy with only a small decrease in robustness have then been designed for this purpose. Working specifically on the coupling efficiency parameter, i.e. the ratio of the energy absorbed by the capsule to the laser energy, has led to the design of a rugby-ball shaped cocktail hohlraum; with these improvements, a target based on the 240-beam A1040 capsule can be included in the 160-beam laser energy-power space. Robustness evaluations of these different targets shed light on critical points for ignition, which can trade off by tightening some specifications or by preliminary experimental and numerical tuning experiments.
Progress on LMJ targets for ignition
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cherfils-Clerouin, C; Boniface, C; Bonnefille, M; Dattolo, E; Galmiche, D; Gauthier, P; Giorla, J; Laffite, S; Liberatore, S; Loiseau, P; Malinie, G; Masse, L; Masson-Laborde, P E; Monteil, M C; Poggi, F; Seytor, P; Wagon, F; Willien, J L
2009-01-01
Targets designed to produce ignition on the Laser Megajoule (LMJ) are being simulated in order to set specifications for target fabrication. The LMJ experimental plans include the attempt of ignition and burn of an ICF capsule with 160 laser beams, delivering up to 1.4 MJ and 380 TW. New targets needing reduced laser energy with only a small decrease in robustness have then been designed for this purpose. Working specifically on the coupling efficiency parameter, i.e. the ratio of the energy absorbed by the capsule to the laser energy, has led to the design of a rugby-ball shaped cocktail hohlraum; with these improvements, a target based on the 240-beam A1040 capsule can be included in the 160-beam laser energy-power space. Robustness evaluations of these different targets shed light on critical points for ignition, which can trade off by tightening some specifications or by preliminary experimental and numerical tuning experiments.
Ultra-intense, short pulse laser-plasma interactions with applications to the fast ignitor
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Wilks, S.C.; Kruer, W.L.; Young, P.E.; Hammer, J.; Tabak, M.
1995-04-01
Due to the advent of chirped pulse amplification (CPA) as an efficient means of creating ultra-high intensity laser light (I > 5{times}10{sup 17} W/cm{sup 2}) in pulses less than a few picoseconds, new ideas for achieving ignition and gain in DT targets with less than 1 megajoule of input energy are currently being pursued. Two types of powerful lasers are employed in this scheme: (1) channeling beams and (2) ignition beams. The current state of laser-plasma interactions relating to this fusion scheme will be discussed. In particular, plasma physics issues in the ultra-intense regime are crucial to the success of this scheme. We compare simulation and experimental results in this highly nonlinear regime.
Design of a deuterium and tritium-ablator shock ignition target for the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Terry, Matthew R.; Perkins, L. John; Sepke, Scott M.
2012-01-01
Shock ignition presents a viable path to ignition and high gain on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). In this paper, we describe the development of the 1D design of 0.5 MJ class, all-deuterium and tritium (fuel and ablator) shock ignition target that should be reasonably robust to Rayleigh-Taylor fluid instabilities, mistiming, and hot electron preheat. The target assumes “day one” NIF hardware and produces a yield of 31 MJ with reasonable allowances for laser backscatter, absorption efficiency, and polar drive power variation. The energetics of polar drive laser absorption require a beam configuration with half of the NIF quads dedicated to launching the ignitor shock, while the remaining quads drive the target compression. Hydrodynamic scaling of the target suggests that gains of 75 and yields 70 MJ may be possible.
Amendt, Peter
2006-10-01
The goal of demonstrating ignition on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) has motivated a revisit of double-shell (DS) [1] targets as a complementary path to the baseline cryogenic single-shell approach [2]. Benefits of DS targets include room-temperature deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel preparation, minimal hohlraum-plasma-mediated laser backscatter, low threshold-ignition temperatures (4 keV) for relaxed hohlraum x-ray flux asymmetry tolerances [3], and loose shock timing requirements. On the other hand, DS ignition presents several challenges, including room-temperature containment of high-pressure DT (790 atm) in the inner shell; strict concentricity requirements on the two shells; development of nanoporous, low-density, metallic foams for structural support of the inner shell and hydrodynamic instability mitigation; and effective control of perturbation growth on the high-Atwood number interface between the DT fuel and the high-Z inner shell. Recent progress in DS ignition target designs using vacuum hohlraums is described, offering the potential for low levels of laser backscatter from stimulated Raman and Brillouin processes. In addition, vacuum hohlraums have the operational advantages of room temperature fielding and fabrication simplicity, as well as benefiting from extensive benchmarking on the Nova and Omega laser facilities. As an alternative to standard cylindrical hohlraums, a rugby-shaped geometry is also introduced that may provide energetics and symmetry tuning benefits for more robust DS designs with yields exceeding 10 MJ for 2 MJ of 3w laser energy. The recent progress in hohlraum designs and required advanced materials development are scheduled to culminate in a prototype demonstration of a NIF-scale ignition-ready DS in 2007. [1] P. Amendt et al., PoP 9, 2221 (2002). [2] J.D. Lindl et al., PoP 11, 339 (2004). [3] M.N. Chizhkov et al., Laser Part. Beams 23, 261 (2005). In collaboration with C. Cerjan, A. Hamza, J. Milovich and H. Robey.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Malekynia, B.; Razavipour, S. S.
2012-01-01
Solid-state fuel ignition was given by Chu and Bobin according to the hydrodynamic theory at x = 0 qualitatively. A high threshold energy flux density, i.e., E* = 4.3 × 10 12 J/m 2 , has been reached. Recently, fast ignition by employing clean petawatt—picosecond laser pulses was performed. The anomalous phenomena were observed to be based on suppression of prepulses. The accelerated plasma block was used to ignite deuterium—tritium fuel at solid-state density. The detailed analysis of the thermonuclear wave propagation was investigated. Also the fusion conditions at x ≠ 0 layers were clarified by exactly solving hydrodynamic equations for plasma block ignition. In this paper, the applied physical mechanisms are determined for nonlinear force laser driven plasma blocks, thermonuclear reaction, heat transfer, electron—ion equilibration, stopping power of alpha particles, bremsstrahlung, expansion, density dependence, and fluid dynamics. New ignition conditions may be obtained by using temperature equations, including the density profile that is obtained by the continuity equation and expansion velocity. The density is only a function of x and independent of time. The ignition energy flux density, E* t , for the x ≠ 0 layers is 1.95 × 10 12 J/m 2 . Thus threshold ignition energy in comparison with that at x = 0 layers would be reduced to less than 50 percent. (physics of gases, plasmas, and electric discharges)
Fast-electron-relaxation measurement for laser-solid interaction at relativistic laser intensities
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Chen, H.; Shepherd, R.; Chung, H. K.; Kemp, A.; Hansen, S. B.; Wilks, S. C.; Ping, Y.; Widmann, K.; Fournier, K. B.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Dyer, G.; Faenov, A.; Pikuz, T.
2007-01-01
We present measurements of the fast-electron-relaxation time in short-pulse (0.5 ps) laser-solid interactions for laser intensities of 10 17 , 10 18 , and 10 19 W/cm 2 , using a picosecond time-resolved x-ray spectrometer and a time-integrated electron spectrometer. We find that the laser coupling to hot electrons increases as the laser intensity becomes relativistic, and that the thermalization of fast electrons occurs over time scales on the order of 10 ps at all laser intensities. The experimental data are analyzed using a combination of models that include Kα generation, collisional coupling, and plasma expansion
Kinetic Simulation of Fast Electron Transport with Ionization Effects and Ion Acceleration
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Robinson, A. P. L.; Bell, A. R.; Kingham, R. J.
2005-01-01
The generation of relativistic electrons and multi-MeV ions is central to ultra intense (> 1018Wcm-2) laser-solid interactions. The production of energetic particles by lasers has a number of potential applications ranging from Fast Ignition ICF to medicine. In terms of the relativistic (fast) electrons the areas of interest can be divided into three areas. Firstly there is the absorption of laser energy into fast electrons and MeV ions. Secondly there is the transport of fast electrons through the solid target. Finally there is a transduction stage, where the fast electron energy is imparted. This may range from being the electrostatic acceleration of ions at a plasma-vacuum interface, to the heating of a compressed core (as in Fast Ignitor ICF).We have used kinetic simulation codes to study the transport stage and electrostatic ion acceleration. (Author)
Advantages of Fast Ignition Scenarios with Two Hot Spots for Space Propulsion Systems
Shmatov, M. L.
The use of the fast ignition scenarios with the attempts to create two hot spots in one blob of the compressed thermonuclear fuel or, briefly, scenarios with two hot spots in space propulsion systems is proposed. The model, predicting that for such scenarios the probability pf of failure of ignition of thermonuclear microexplosion can be significantly less than that for the similar scenarios with the attempts to create one hot spot in one blob of the compressed fuel, is presented. For space propulsion systems consuming a relatively large amount of propellant, a decrease in pf due to the choice of the scenario with two hot spots can result in large, for example, two-fold, increase in the payload mass. Other advantages of the scenarios with two hot spots and some problems related to them are considered.
Liquid Wall Options for Tritium-Lean Fast Ignition Inertial Fusion Energy Power Plants
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Reyes, S.; Schmitt, R.C.; Latkowski, J.F.; Durbin, S.G.' Sanz, J.
2002-01-01
In an inertial fusion energy (FE) thick-liquid chamber design such as HYLEE-II, a molten-salt is used to attenuate neutrons and protect the chamber structures from radiation damage. In the case of a fast ignition inertial fusion system, advanced targets have been proposed that may be self-sufficient in terms of tritium breeding (i.e., the amount of tritium bred in target exceeds the amount burned). This aspect allows for greater freedom when selecting a liquid for the protective blanket, given that lithium-bearing compounds are no longer required. The present work assesses the characteristics of many single, binary, and ternary molten-salts using the NIST Properties of Molten Salts Database. As an initial screening, salts were evaluated for their safety and environmental (S and E) characteristics, which included an assessment of waste disposal rating, contact dose, and radioactive afterheat. Salts that passed the S and E criteria were then evaluated for required pumping power. The pumping power was calculated using three components: velocity head losses, frictional losses, and lifting power. The results of the assessment are used to identify those molten-salts that are suitable for potential liquid-chamber fast-ignition IFE concepts, from both the S and E and pumping power perspective. Recommendations for further analysis are also made
Laser-Plasma Interactions in Drive Campaign targets on the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hinkel, D E; Callahan, D A; Moody, J D; Amendt, P A; Lasinski, B F; MacGowan, B J; Meeker, D; Michel, P A; Ralph, J; Rosen, M D; Ross, J S; Schneider, M B; Storm, E; Strozzi, D J; Williams, E A
2016-01-01
The Drive campaign [D A Callahan et al., this conference] on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser [E. I. Moses, R. N. Boyd, B. A. Remington, C. J. Keane, R. Al-Ayat, Phys. Plasmas 16, 041006 (2009)] has the focused goal of understanding and optimizing the hohlraum for ignition. Both the temperature and symmetry of the radiation drive depend on laser and hohlraum characteristics. The drive temperature depends on the coupling of laser energy to the hohlraum, and the symmetry of the drive depends on beam-to-beam interactions that result in energy transfer [P. A. Michel, S. H. Glenzer, L. Divol, et al, Phys. Plasmas 17, 056305 (2010).] within the hohlraum. To this end, hohlraums are being fielded where shape (rugby vs. cylindrical hohlraums), gas fill composition (neopentane at room temperature vs. cryogenic helium), and gas fill density (increase of ∼ 150%) are independently changed. Cylindrical hohlraums with higher gas fill density show improved inner beam propagation, as should rugby hohlraums, because of the larger radius over the capsule (7 mm vs. 5.75 mm in a cylindrical hohlraum). Energy coupling improves in room temperature neopentane targets, as well as in hohlraums at higher gas fill density. In addition cross-beam energy transfer is being addressed directly by using targets that mock up one end of a hohlraum, but allow observation of the laser beam uniformity after energy transfer. Ideas such as splitting quads into “doublets” by re-pointing the right and left half of quads are also being pursued. LPI results of the Drive campaign will be summarized, and analyses of future directions presented. (paper)
The Ignition Target for the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Atherton, L J; Moses, E I; Carlisle, K; Kilkenny, J
2007-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a 192 beam Nd-glass laser facility presently under construction at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) for performing inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and experiments studying high energy density (HED) science. When completed in 2009, NIF will be able to produce 1.8 MJ, 500 TW of ultraviolet light for target experiments that will create conditions of extreme temperatures (>10 8 K), pressures (10-GBar) and matter densities (> 100 g/cm 3 ). A detailed program called the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) has been developed to enable ignition experiments in 2010, with the goal of producing fusion ignition and burn of a deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel mixture in millimeter-scale target capsules. The first of the target experiments leading up to these ignition shots will begin in 2008. Targets for the National Ignition Campaign are both complex and precise, and are extraordinarily demanding in materials fabrication, machining, assembly, cryogenics and characterization. An overview of the campaign for ignition will be presented, along with technologies for target fabrication, assembly and metrology and advances in growth and x-ray imaging of DT ice layers. The sum of these efforts represents a quantum leap in target precision, characterization, manufacturing rate and flexibility over current state-of-the-art
Ignition tuning for the National Ignition Campaign
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Landen O.
2013-11-01
Full Text Available The overall goal of the indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion [1] tuning campaigns [2] is to maximize the probability of ignition by experimentally correcting for likely residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics [3] used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models, and by checking for and resolving unexpected shot-to-shot variability in performance [4]. This has been started successfully using a variety of surrogate capsules that set key laser, hohlraum and capsule parameters to maximize ignition capsule implosion velocity, while minimizing fuel adiabat, core shape asymmetry and ablator-fuel mix.
Miller, John L.; English, R. Edward, Jr.; Korniski, Ronald J.; Rodgers, J. Michael
1999-07-01
The optical design of the main laser and transport mirror sections of the National Ignition Facility are described. For the main laser the configuration, layout constraints, multiple beam arrangement, pinhole layout and beam paths, clear aperture budget, ray trace models, alignment constraints, lens designs, wavefront performance, and pupil aberrations are discussed. For the transport mirror system the layout, alignment controls and clear aperture budget are described.
A Survey of Studies on Ignition and Burn of Inertially Confined Fuels
Atzeni, Stefano
2016-10-01
A survey of studies on ignition and burn of inertial fusion fuels is presented. Potentials and issues of different approaches to ignition (central ignition, fast ignition, volume ignition) are addressed by means of simple models and numerical simulations. Both equimolar DT and T-lean mixtures are considered. Crucial issues concerning hot spot formation (implosion symmetry for central ignition; igniting pulse parameters for fast ignition) are briefly discussed. Recent results concerning the scaling of the ignition energy with the implosion velocity and constrained gain curves are also summarized.
The National Ignition Facility. The path to ignition and inertial fusion energy
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Eric Storm
2010-01-01
Complete text of publication follows. The National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world's largest and most energetic laser system built for studying inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and high-energy-density (HED) science, is now operational at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). NIF's 192 beams are capable of producing 1.8 MJ and 500 TW of ultraviolet light and are configured to create pressures as high as 100 GB, matter temperatures approaching 10 9 and densities over 1000 g/cm 3 . With these capabis70lities, the NIF will enable exploring scientific problems in strategic defense, basic science and fusion energy. One of the early NIF campaigns is focusing on demonstrating laboratory-scale thermonuclear ignition and burn to produce net fusion energy gains of 10-20 with 1.2 to 1.4 MJ of 0.35 μm light. NIF ignition experiments began late in FY2009 as part of the National Ignition Campaign (NIC). Participants of NIC include LLNL, General Atomics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, and the University of Rochester Laboratory for Energetics (LLE) as well as variety of national and international collaborators. The results from these initial experiments show great promise for the relatively near-term achievement of ignition. Capsule implosion experiments at energies up to 1.2 MJ have demonstrated laser energetics, radiation temperatures, and symmetry control that scale to ignition conditions. Of particular importance is the demonstration of peak hohlraum temperatures near 300 eV with low overall backscatter less than 10%. Cryogenic target capability and additional diagnostics are being installed in preparation for layered target deuterium-tritium implosions to be conducted later in 2010. The goal for NIC is to demonstrate a predictable fusion experimental platform by the end of 2012. Successful demonstration of ignition and net energy gain on NIF will be a major step towards demonstrating the feasibility of Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) and
Low fuel convergence path to ignition on the NIF
Schmitt, M. J.; Molvig, Kim; Gianakon, T. A.; Woods, C. N.; Krasheninnikova, N. S.; Hsu, S. C.; Schmidt, D. W.; Dodd, E. S.; Zylstra, Alex; Scheiner, B.; McKenty, P.; Campbell, E. M.; Froula, D.; Betti, R.; Michel, T.
2017-10-01
A novel concept for achieving ignition on the NIF is proposed that obviates current issues plaguing single-shell high-convergence capsules. A large directly-driven Be shell is designed to robustly implode two nested internal shells by efficiently converting 1.7MJ of laser energy from a 6 ns, low intensity laser pulse, into a 1 ns dynamic pressure pulse to ignite and burn a central liquid DT core after a fuel convergence of only 9. The short, low intensity laser pulse mitigates LPI allowing more uniform laser drive of the target and eliminates hot e-, preheat and laser zooming issues. Preliminary rad-hydro simulations predict ignition initiation with 90% maximum inner shell velocity, before deceleration Rayleigh-Taylor growth can cause significant pusher shell mix into the compressed DT fuel. The gold inner pusher shell reduces pre-ignition radiation losses from the fuel allowing ignition to occur at 2.5keV. Further 2D simulations show that the short pulse design results in a spatially uniform kinetic drive that is tolerant to variations in laser cone power. A multi-pronged effort, in collaboration with LLE, is progressing to optimize this design for NIF's PDD laser configuration. Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Dept. of Energy by the Los Alamos National Security, LLC, Los Alamos National Laboratory under contract DE-FG02-051ER54810.
Producing National Ignition Facility (NIF)-quality beams on the Nova and Beamlet lasers
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Widmayer, C.C.; Auerbach, J.M.; Ehrlich, R.B.
1996-08-01
The Nova and Beamlet lasers were used to simulate the beam propagation conditions that will be encountered during the National Ignition Facility operation. Perturbation theory predicts that there is a 5mm scale length propagation mode that experiences large nonlinear power growth. This mode was observed in the tests. Further tests have confirmed that this mode can be suppressed with improved spatial filtering
Development of laser-induced fluorescence for precombustion diagnostics in spark-ignition engines
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Neij, H.
1998-11-01
Motivated by a desire to understand and optimize combustion in spark-ignition (SI) engines, laser techniques have been developed for measurement of fuel and residual gas, respectively, in the precombustion mixture of an operating SI engine. The primary objective was to obtain two-dimensional, quantitative data in the vicinity of the spark gap at the time of ignition. A laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) technique was developed for fuel visualization in engine environments. Since the fluorescence signal from any commercial gasoline fuel would be unknown to its origin, with an unpredictable dependence on collisional partners, pressure and temperature, a non-fluorescent base fuel - isooctane - was used. For LIF detection, a fluorescent species was added to the fuel. An additive not commonly used in this context - 3-pentanone - was chosen based on its suitable vaporization characteristics and fluorescent properties. The LIF technique was applied to an optically accessible research engine. By calibration, the fluorescence signal from the additive was converted to fuel-to-air equivalence ratio ({phi}). The accuracy and precision of the acquired data were assessed. A statistical evaluation revealed that the spatially averaged equivalence ratio around the spark plug had a significant impact on the combustion event. The strong correlation between these two quantities suggested that the early combustion was sensitive to large-scale inhomogeneities in the precombustion mixture. A similar LIF technique, using acetone as a fluorescent additive in methane, was applied to a combustion cell for ion current evaluation. The local equivalence ratio around the spark gap at the time of ignition was extracted from LIF data. Useful relations were identified between different ion current parameters and the local equivalence ratio, although the impact of the flow field, the fuel type, and the electrode geometry were identified as areas for future research. A novel fuel - dimethyl ether (DME
Two-Dimensional Simulations of Electron Shock Ignition at the Megajoule Scale
Shang, W.; Betti, R.
2016-10-01
Shock ignition uses a late strong shock to ignite the hot spot of an inertial confinement fusion capsule. In the standard shock-ignition scheme, an ignitor shock is launched by the ablation pressure from a spike in laser intensity. Recent experiments on OMEGA have shown that focused beams with intensity up to 6 ×1015 W /cm2 can produce copious amounts of hot electrons. The hot electrons are produced by laser-plasma instabilities (LPI's) and can carry up to 15 % of the instantaneous laser power. Megajoule-scale targets will likely produce even more hot electrons because of the large plasma scale length. We show that it is possible to design ignition targets with low implosion velocities that can be shock ignited using LPI-generated hot electrons to obtain high energy gains. These designs are robust to low-mode asymmetries and they ignite even for highly distorted implosions. Electron shock ignition requires tens of kilojoules of hot electrons, which can only be produced on a large laser facility like the National Ignition Facility. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944.
The national ignition facility performance status
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Haynam, C.; Auerbach, J.; Bowers, M.; Di-Nicola, J.M.; Dixit, S.; Erbert, G.; Heestand, G.; Henesian, M.; Jancaitis, K.; Manes, K.; Marshall, C.; Mehta, N.; Nostrand, M.; Orth, C.; Sacks, R.; Shaw, M.; Sutton, S.; Wegner, P.; Williams, W.; Widmayer, C.; White, R.; Yang, S.; Van Wonterghem, B. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States)
2006-06-15
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser has been designed to support high energy density science, including the demonstration of fusion ignition through Inertial Confinement. NIF operated a single 'quad' of 4 beams from December 2002 through October 2004 in order to gain laser operations experience, support target experiments, and demonstrate laser performance consistent with NIF's design requirement. During this two-year period, over 400 Main Laser shots were delivered at 1{omega} to calorimeters for diagnostic calibration purposes, at 3{omega} to the Target Chamber, and at 1{omega}, 2{omega}, and 3{omega} to the precision diagnostic system (PDS). The PDS includes its own independent single beam transport system, NIF design frequency conversion hardware and optics, and laser sampling optics that deliver light to a broad range of laser diagnostics. Highlights of NIF laser performance will be discussed including the results of high energy 2{omega} and 3{omega} experiments, the use of multiple focal spot beam conditioning techniques, the reproducibility of laser performance on multiple shots, the generation on a single beam of a 3{omega} temporally shaped ignition pulse at full energy and power, and recent results on full bundle (8 beamline) performance. NIF's first quad laser performance meets or exceeds NIF's design requirements. (authors)
The National Ignition Facility Performance Status
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Haynam, C; Auerbach, J; Nicola, J D; Dixit, S; Heestand, G; Henesian, M; Jancaitis, K; Manes, K; Marshall, C; Mehta, N; Nostrand, M; Orth, C; Sacks, R; Shaw, M; Sutton, S; Wegner, P; Williams, W; Widmayer, C; White, R; Yang, S; Van Wonterghem, B
2005-08-30
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser has been designed to support high energy density science (HEDS), including the demonstration of fusion ignition through Inertial Confinement. NIF operated a single ''quad'' of 4 beams from December 2002 through October 2004 in order to gain laser operations experience, support target experiments, and demonstrate laser performance consistent with NIF's design requirement. During this two-year period, over 400 Main Laser shots were delivered at 1{omega} to calorimeters for diagnostic calibration purposes, at 3{omega} to the Target Chamber, and at 1{omega}, 2{omega}, and 3{omega} to the Precision Diagnostics System (PDS). The PDS includes its own independent single beam transport system, NIF design frequency conversion hardware and optics, and laser sampling optics that deliver light to a broad range of laser diagnostics. Highlights of NIF laser performance will be discussed including the results of high energy 2{omega} and 3{omega} experiments, the use of multiple focal spot beam conditioning techniques, the reproducibility of laser performance on multiple shots, the generation on a single beam of a 3{omega} temporally shaped ignition pulse at full energy and power, and recent results on full bundle (8 beamline) performance. NIF's first quad laser performance meets or exceeds NIF's design requirements.
Intense laser driven collision-less shock and ion acceleration in magnetized plasmas
Mima, K.; Jia, Q.; Cai, H. B.; Taguchi, T.; Nagatomo, H.; Sanz, J. R.; Honrubia, J.
2016-05-01
The generation of strong magnetic field with a laser driven coil has been demonstrated by many experiments. It is applicable to the magnetized fast ignition (MFI), the collision-less shock in the astrophysics and the ion shock acceleration. In this paper, the longitudinal magnetic field effect on the shock wave driven by the radiation pressure of an intense short pulse laser is investigated by theory and simulations. The transition of a laminar shock (electro static shock) to the turbulent shock (electromagnetic shock) occurs, when the external magnetic field is applied in near relativistic cut-off density plasmas. This transition leads to the enhancement of conversion of the laser energy into high energy ions. The enhancement of the conversion efficiency is important for the ion driven fast ignition and the laser driven neutron source. It is found that the total number of ions reflected by the shock increases by six time when the magnetic field is applied.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Shang, Wanli; Wei, Huiyue; Li, Zhichao; Yi, Rongqing; Zhu, Tuo; Song, Tianmin; Huang, Chengwu; Yang, Jiamin
2013-01-01
Laser target energy coupling mechanism is crucial in the shock ignition (SI) scheme, and x-ray radiation energy is a non-negligible portion of the laser produced plasma energy. To evaluate the x-ray radiation energy amount at conditions relevant to SI scheme, instantaneous x-ray radiation energy is investigated experimentally with continuum phase plates smoothed lasers irradiating layer polystyrene targets. Comparative laser pulses without and with shock spike are employed. With the measured x-ray angular distribution, full space x-ray radiation energy and conversion efficiency are observed. Instantaneous scaling law of x-ray conversion efficiency is obtained as a function of laser intensity and time. It should be pointed out that the scaling law is available for any laser pulse shape and intensity, with which irradiates polystyrene planar target with intensity from 2 × 10 14 to 1.8 × 10 15 W/cm 2 . Numerical analysis of the laser energy transformation is performed, and the simulation results agree with the experimental data
Development and Benchmarking of a Hybrid PIC Code For Dense Plasmas and Fast Ignition
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Witherspoon, F. Douglas [HyperV Technologies Corp.; Welch, Dale R. [Voss Scientific, LLC; Thompson, John R. [FAR-TECH, Inc.; MacFarlane, Joeseph J. [Prism Computational Sciences Inc.; Phillips, Michael W. [Advanced Energy Systems, Inc.; Bruner, Nicki [Voss Scientific, LLC; Mostrom, Chris [Voss Scientific, LLC; Thoma, Carsten [Voss Scientific, LLC; Clark, R. E. [Voss Scientific, LLC; Bogatu, Nick [FAR-TECH, Inc.; Kim, Jin-Soo [FAR-TECH, Inc.; Galkin, Sergei [FAR-TECH, Inc.; Golovkin, Igor E. [Prism Computational Sciences, Inc.; Woodruff, P. R. [Prism Computational Sciences, Inc.; Wu, Linchun [HyperV Technologies Corp.; Messer, Sarah J. [HyperV Technologies Corp.
2014-05-20
Radiation processes play an important role in the study of both fast ignition and other inertial confinement schemes, such as plasma jet driven magneto-inertial fusion, both in their effect on energy balance, and in generating diagnostic signals. In the latter case, warm and hot dense matter may be produced by the convergence of a plasma shell formed by the merging of an assembly of high Mach number plasma jets. This innovative approach has the potential advantage of creating matter of high energy densities in voluminous amount compared with high power lasers or particle beams. An important application of this technology is as a plasma liner for the flux compression of magnetized plasma to create ultra-high magnetic fields and burning plasmas. HyperV Technologies Corp. has been developing plasma jet accelerator technology in both coaxial and linear railgun geometries to produce plasma jets of sufficient mass, density, and velocity to create such imploding plasma liners. An enabling tool for the development of this technology is the ability to model the plasma dynamics, not only in the accelerators themselves, but also in the resulting magnetized target plasma and within the merging/interacting plasma jets during transport to the target. Welch pioneered numerical modeling of such plasmas (including for fast ignition) using the LSP simulation code. Lsp is an electromagnetic, parallelized, plasma simulation code under development since 1995. It has a number of innovative features making it uniquely suitable for modeling high energy density plasmas including a hybrid fluid model for electrons that allows electrons in dense plasmas to be modeled with a kinetic or fluid treatment as appropriate. In addition to in-house use at Voss Scientific, several groups carrying out research in Fast Ignition (LLNL, SNL, UCSD, AWE (UK), and Imperial College (UK)) also use LSP. A collaborative team consisting of HyperV Technologies Corp., Voss Scientific LLC, FAR-TECH, Inc., Prism
New solid laser: Ceramic laser. From ultra stable laser to ultra high output laser
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ueda, Kenichi
2006-01-01
An epoch-making solid laser is developed. It is ceramic laser, polycrystal, which is produced as same as glass and shows ultra high output. Ti 3+ :Al 2 O 3 laser crystal and the CPA (chirped pulse amplification) technique realized new ultra high output lasers. Japan has developed various kinds of ceramic lasers, from 10 -2 to 67 x 10 3 w average output, since 1995. These ceramic lasers were studied by gravitational radiation astronomy. The scattering coefficient of ceramic laser is smaller than single crystals. The new fast ignition method is proposed by Institute of Laser Engineering of Osaka University, Japan. Ultra-intense short pulse laser can inject the required energy to the high-density imploded core plasma within the core disassembling time. Ti 3+ :Al 2 O 3 crystal for laser, ceramic YAG of large caliber for 100 kW, transparent laser ceramic from nano-crystals, crystal grain and boundary layer between grains, the scattering coefficient of single crystal and ceramic, and the derived release cross section of Yb:YAG ceramic are described. (S.Y.)
Shvydky, A.; Radha, P. B.; Rosenberg, M. J.; Anderson, K. S.; Goncharov, V. N.; Marozas, J. A.; Marshall, F. J.; McKenty, P. W.; Regan, S. P.; Sangster, T. C.; Hohenberger, M.; di Nicola, J. M.; Koning, J. M.; Marinak, M. M.; Masse, L.; Karasik, M.
2017-10-01
Control of shell nonuniformities imprinted by the laser and amplified by hydrodynamic instabilities in the imploding target is critical for the success of direct-drive ignition at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). To measure a level of imprint and its reduction by the NIF smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD), we performed experiments that employed flat CH foils driven with a single NIF beam with either no SSD or the NIF indirect-drive SSD applied to the laser pulse. Face-on x-ray radiography was used to measure optical depth variations, from which the amplitudes of the foil areal-density modulations were obtained. Results of 3-D, radiation-hydrodynamic code HYDRA simulations of the growth of the imprint-seeded perturbations are presented and compared with the experimental data. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944 and under the auspices of the Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, (LLNS) under Contract Number DE-AC52-07NA27344.
Effects of buried high-Z layers on fast electron propagation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yang, Xiaohu; Zhuo, Hongbin; Ma, Yanyun; Shao, Fuqiu; Xu, Han; Yin Yan; Borghesi, M.
2014-01-01
The transport through high density plasmas of relativistic electron beams generated by ultra-intense laser-plasma interaction has potential applications in laser-driven ion acceleration and in the fast igniter scheme for inertial confinement fusion. By extending a prior model [A.R. Bell, J.R. Davies, S.M. Guerin, Phys. Rev. E 58, 2471 (1998)], the magnetic field generated during the transport of a fast electron beam driven by an ultra-intense laser in a solid target is derived analytically and applied to estimate the effect of such field on fast electron propagation through a buried high-Z layer in a lower-Z target. It is found that the effect gets weaker with the increase of the depth of the buried layer, the divergence of the fast electrons, and the laser intensity, indicating that magnetic field effects on the fast electron divergence as measured from K a X-ray emission may need to be considered for moderate laser intensities. On the basis of the calculations, some considerations are made on how one can mitigate the effect of the magnetic field generated at the interface. (authors)
Progress Towards Ignition on the National Ignition Facility
Edwards, John
2012-10-01
Since completion of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) construction project in March 2009, a wide variety of diagnostics, facility infrastructure, and experimental platforms have been commissioned in pursuit of generating the conditions necessary to reach thermonuclear ignition in the laboratory via the inertial confinement approach. NIF's capabilities and infrastructure include over 50 X-ray, optical, and nuclear diagnostics systems and the ability to shoot cryogenic DT layered capsules. There are two main approaches to ICF: direct drive in which laser light impinges directly on a capsule containing a solid layer of DT fuel, and indirect drive in which the laser light is first converted to thermal X-rays. To date NIF has been conducting experiments using the indirect drive approach, injecting up to 1.8MJ of ultraviolet light (0.35 micron) into 1 cm scale cylindrical gold or gold-coated uranium, gas-filled hohlraums, to implode 1mm radius plastic capsules containing solid DT fuel layers. In order to achieve ignition conditions the implosion must be precisely controlled. The National Ignition Campaign (NIC), an international effort with the goal of demonstrating thermonuclear burn in the laboratory, is making steady progress toward this. Utilizing precision pulse-shaping experiments in early 2012 the NIC achieve fuel rhoR of approximately 1.2 gm/cm^2 with densities of around 600-800 g/cm^3 along with neutron yields within about a factor of 5 necessary to enter a regime in which alpha particle heating will become important. To achieve these results, experimental platforms were developed to carefully control key attributes of the implosion. This talk will review NIF's capabilities and the progress toward ignition, as well as the physics of ignition targets on NIF and on other facilities. Acknowledgement: this work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.
'Defense-in-Depth' Laser Safety and the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
King, J.J.
2010-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the largest and most energetic laser in the world contained in a complex the size of a football stadium. From the initial laser pulse, provided by telecommunication style infrared nanoJoule pulsed lasers, to the final 192 laser beams (1.8 Mega Joules total energy in the ultraviolet) converging on a target the size of a pencil eraser, laser safety is of paramount concern. In addition to this, there are numerous high-powered (Class 3B and 4) diagnostic lasers in use that can potentially send their laser radiation travelling throughout the facility. With individual beam paths of up to 1500 meters and a workforce of more than one thousand, the potential for exposure is significant. Simple laser safety practices utilized in typical laser labs just don't apply. To mitigate these hazards, NIF incorporates a multi layered approach to laser safety or 'Defense in Depth.' Most typical high-powered laser operations are contained and controlled within a single room using relatively simplistic controls to protect both the worker and the public. Laser workers are trained, use a standard operating procedure, and are required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as Laser Protective Eyewear (LPE) if the system is not fully enclosed. Non-workers are protected by means of posting the room with a warning sign and a flashing light. In the best of cases, a Safety Interlock System (SIS) will be employed which will 'safe' the laser in the case of unauthorized access. This type of laser operation is relatively easy to employ and manage. As the operation becomes more complex, higher levels of control are required to ensure personnel safety. Examples requiring enhanced controls are outdoor and multi-room laser operations. At the NIF there are 192 beam lines and numerous other Class 4 diagnostic lasers that can potentially deliver their hazardous energy to locations far from the laser source. This presents a serious and complex potential
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Malekynia, B.; Razavipour, S. S.
2013-01-01
An accelerated skin layer may be used to ignite solid state fuels. Detailed analyses were clarified by solving the hydrodynamic equations for nonlinear force driven plasma block ignition. In this paper, the complementary mechanisms are included for the advanced fuel ignition: external factors such as lasers, compression, shock waves, and sparks. The other category is created within the plasma fusion as reheating of an alpha particle, the Bremsstrahlung absorption, expansion, conduction, and shock waves generated by explosions. With the new condition for the control of shock waves, the spherical deuterium-tritium fuel density should be increased to 75 times that of the solid state. The threshold ignition energy flux density for advanced fuel ignition may be obtained using temperature equations, including the ones for the density profile obtained through the continuity equation and the expansion velocity for the r ≠ 0 layers. These thresholds are significantly reduced in comparison with the ignition thresholds at x = 0 for solid advanced fuels. The quantum correction for the collision frequency is applied in the case of the delay in ion heating. Under the shock wave condition, the spherical proton-boron and proton-lithium fuel densities should be increased to densities 120 and 180 times that of the solid state. These plasma compressions are achieved through a longer duration laser pulse or X-ray. (physics of gases, plasmas, and electric discharges)
Goyon, C; Depierreux, S; Yahia, V; Loisel, G; Baccou, C; Courvoisier, C; Borisenko, N G; Orekhov, A; Rosmej, O; Labaune, C
2013-12-06
An experimental program was designed to study the most important issues of laser-plasma interaction physics in the context of the shock ignition scheme. In the new experiments presented in this Letter, a combination of kilojoule and short laser pulses was used to study the laser-plasma coupling at high laser intensities for a large range of electron densities and plasma profiles. We find that the backscatter is dominated by stimulated Brillouin scattering with stimulated Raman scattering staying at a limited level. This is in agreement with past experiments using long pulses but laser intensities limited to 2×10(15) W/cm2, or short pulses with intensities up to 5×10(16) W/cm2 as well as with 2D particle-in-cell simulations.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Susumu, Kato; Eiichi, Takahashi; Tatsuya, Aota; Yuji, Matsumoto; Isao, Okuda; Yoshiro, Owadano [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan)
2004-07-01
The interaction of intense laser pulses with overdense plasmas has attracted much interest for the fast igniter concept in inertial fusion energy. Hot electron temperatures and electron energy spectra in the course of interaction between intense laser pulse and overdense plasmas are reexamined from a viewpoint of the difference in laser wavelength. The hot electron temperature measured by a particle-in-cell simulation is scaled by I rather than I{lambda}{sup 2} at the interaction with overdense plasmas with fixed ions, where I and {lambda} are the laser intensity and wavelength, respectively. (authors)
The interaction physics of the fast ignitor concept
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Deutsch, C; Furukawa, H; Mima, K; Murakami, M; Nishihara, K [Osaka Univ. (Japan). Inst. for Laser Engineering
1997-12-31
In the so called Fast Ignitor Scenario the powerful laser radiation or heavy ion beams are used for igniting hot spots inside a super-compressed indirectly driven DT pellet. The possibility to use high-energy electron beams for this purpose is studied theoretically in the paper. Transfer of the beam energy to the target are treated through binary collisions and Langmuir wave excitation. The overall penetration depth is determined by quasielastic and multiple scattering on target ions. It is shown that hot spots may be efficiently ignited in a target with density larger than 300 g/cc. (J.U.). 2 figs., 8 refs.
The interaction physics of the fast ignitor concept
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Deutsch, C.; Furukawa, H.; Mima, K.; Murakami, M.; Nishihara, K.
1996-01-01
In the so called Fast Ignitor Scenario the powerful laser radiation or heavy ion beams are used for igniting hot spots inside a super-compressed indirectly driven DT pellet. The possibility to use high-energy electron beams for this purpose is studied theoretically in the paper. Transfer of the beam energy to the target are treated through binary collisions and Langmuir wave excitation. The overall penetration depth is determined by quasielastic and multiple scattering on target ions. It is shown that hot spots may be efficiently ignited in a target with density larger than 300 g/cc. (J.U.). 2 figs., 8 refs
KINETIC MODEL OF ELECTRIC-DISCHARGE СО2-LASER WITH FAST FLOW
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
V. V. Nevdakh
2013-01-01
Full Text Available The paper presents a kinetic model of CW electric-discharge CO2-laser with fast flow. Expressions linking a non-saturated gain ratio, saturation intensity and output power of the fast-flow laser with excitation rates and relaxation times of laser levels have been obtained in the paper. The paper demonstrates that the higher excitation and flow rates or higher saturation intensity provide considerably higher specific output power of the fast-flow CO2-laser in comparison with a sealed-off CO2-laser. While maintaining a steady discharge the same output power of the fast-flow CO2-laser may be obtained under various discharge conditions and combinations of fast flow rate, gas mixture composition and active media temperature.
Capsule performance optimization in the National Ignition Campaigna)
Landen, O. L.; Boehly, T. R.; Bradley, D. K.; Braun, D. G.; Callahan, D. A.; Celliers, P. M.; Collins, G. W.; Dewald, E. L.; Divol, L.; Glenzer, S. H.; Hamza, A.; Hicks, D. G.; Hoffman, N.; Izumi, N.; Jones, O. S.; Kirkwood, R. K.; Kyrala, G. A.; Michel, P.; Milovich, J.; Munro, D. H.; Nikroo, A.; Olson, R. E.; Robey, H. F.; Spears, B. K.; Thomas, C. A.; Weber, S. V.; Wilson, D. C.; Marinak, M. M.; Suter, L. J.; Hammel, B. A.; Meyerhofer, D. D.; Atherton, J.; Edwards, J.; Haan, S. W.; Lindl, J. D.; MacGowan, B. J.; Moses, E. I.
2010-05-01
A capsule performance optimization campaign will be conducted at the National Ignition Facility [G. H. Miller et al., Nucl. Fusion 44, 228 (2004)] to substantially increase the probability of ignition by laser-driven hohlraums [J. D. Lindl et al., Phys. Plasmas 11, 339 (2004)]. The campaign will experimentally correct for residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models before proceeding to cryogenic-layered implosions and ignition attempts. The required tuning techniques using a variety of ignition capsule surrogates have been demonstrated at the OMEGA facility under scaled hohlraum and capsule conditions relevant to the ignition design and shown to meet the required sensitivity and accuracy. In addition, a roll-up of all expected random and systematic uncertainties in setting the key ignition laser and target parameters due to residual measurement, calibration, cross-coupling, surrogacy, and scale-up errors has been derived that meets the required budget.
Capsule performance optimization in the National Ignition Campaign
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Landen, O. L.; Bradley, D. K.; Braun, D. G.; Callahan, D. A.; Celliers, P. M.; Collins, G. W.; Dewald, E. L.; Divol, L.; Glenzer, S. H.; Hamza, A.; Hicks, D. G.; Izumi, N.; Jones, O. S.; Kirkwood, R. K.; Michel, P.; Milovich, J.; Munro, D. H.; Robey, H. F.; Spears, B. K.; Thomas, C. A.
2010-01-01
A capsule performance optimization campaign will be conducted at the National Ignition Facility [G. H. Miller et al., Nucl. Fusion 44, 228 (2004)] to substantially increase the probability of ignition by laser-driven hohlraums [J. D. Lindl et al., Phys. Plasmas 11, 339 (2004)]. The campaign will experimentally correct for residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models before proceeding to cryogenic-layered implosions and ignition attempts. The required tuning techniques using a variety of ignition capsule surrogates have been demonstrated at the OMEGA facility under scaled hohlraum and capsule conditions relevant to the ignition design and shown to meet the required sensitivity and accuracy. In addition, a roll-up of all expected random and systematic uncertainties in setting the key ignition laser and target parameters due to residual measurement, calibration, cross-coupling, surrogacy, and scale-up errors has been derived that meets the required budget.
Enhanced efficiency of plasma acceleration in the laser-induced cavity pressure acceleration scheme
Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Badziak, J.; Rosinski, M.; Jabłonski, S.; Pisarczyk, T.; Chodukowski, T.; Parys, P.; Raczka, P.; Krouský, Eduard; Ullschmied, Jiří; Liska, R.; Kucharik, M.
2015-01-01
Roč. 57, č. 1 (2015), 014007 ISSN 0741-3335 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LC528; GA MŠk LM2010014 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 ; RVO:61389021 Keywords : laser ion acceleration * laser plasma * fast ignition * ion diagnostics * LICPA Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics; BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers (UFP-V) Impact factor: 2.404, year: 2015
Direct-drive–ignition designs with mid-Z ablators
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Lafon, M.; Betti, R. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Laboratory for Laser Energetics and Fusion Science Center, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Anderson, K. S.; Collins, T. J. B.; Epstein, R.; McKenty, P. W.; Myatt, J. F.; Shvydky, A.; Skupsky, S. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States)
2015-03-15
Achieving thermonuclear ignition using direct laser illumination relies on the capability to accelerate spherical shells to high implosion velocities while maintaining shell integrity. Ablator materials of moderate atomic number Z reduce the detrimental effects of laser–plasma instabilities in direct-drive implosions. To validate the physics of moderate-Z ablator materials for ignition target designs on the National Ignition Facility (NIF), hydro-equivalent targets are designed using pure plastic (CH), high-density carbon, and glass (SiO{sub 2}) ablators. The hydrodynamic stability of these targets is investigated through two-dimensional (2D) single-mode and multimode simulations. The overall stability of these targets to laser-imprint perturbations and low-mode asymmetries makes it possible to design high-gain targets. Designs using polar-drive illumination are developed within the NIF laser system specifications. Mid-Z ablator targets are an attractive candidate for direct-drive ignition since they present better overall performance than plastic ablator targets through reduced laser–plasma instabilities and a similar hydrodynamic stability.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
MacGowan, B.J.; Berger, R.L.; Cohen, B.I.
2001-01-01
We have used gas-filled targets irradiated by the Nova laser to simulate National Ignition Facility (NIF) hohlraum plasmas and to study the dependence of Stimulated Raman (SRS) and Brillouin (SBS) Scattering on beam smoothing at a range of laser intensities (3ω, 2-410 15 Wcm -2 ) and plasma conditions. We have demonstrated the effectiveness of polarization smoothing as a potential upgrade to the NIF. Experiments with higher intensities and higher densities characteristic of 350eV hohlraum designs indicate that with appropriate beam smoothing the backscatter from such hohlraums may be tolerable. (author)
Gas-filled hohlraum experiments at the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Fernandez, Juan C.; Goldman, S.R.; Kline, J.L.; Dodd, E.S.; Gautier, C.; Grim, G.P.; Hegelich, B.M.; Montgomery, D.S.; Lanier, N.E.; Rose, H.; Schmidt, D.W.; Workman, J.B.; Braun, D.G.; Dewald, E.L.; Landen, O.L.; Campbell, K.M.; Holder, J.P.; MacKinnon, A.J.; Niemann, C.; Schein, J.
2006-01-01
Experiments done at the National Ignition Facility laser [J. A. Paisner, E. M. Campbell, and W. Hogan, Fusion Technol. 26, 755 (1994)] using gas-filled hohlraums demonstrate a key ignition design feature, i.e., using plasma pressure from a gas fill to tamp the hohlraum-wall expansion for the duration of the laser pulse. Moreover, our understanding of hohlraum energetics and the ability to predict the hohlraum soft-x-ray drive has been validated in ignition-relevant conditions. Finally, the laser reflectivity from stimulated Raman scattering in the fill plasma, a key threat to hohlraum performance, is shown to be suppressed by choosing a design with a sufficiently high ratio of electron temperature to density
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Amendt, Peter; Cerjan, C.; Hamza, A.; Hinkel, D. E.; Milovich, J. L.; Robey, H. F.
2007-01-01
The goal of demonstrating ignition on the National Ignition Facility [J. D. Lindl et al., Phys. Plasmas 11, 339 (2003)] has motivated a revisit of double-shell (DS) targets as a complementary path to the cryogenic baseline approach. Expected benefits of DS ignition targets include noncryogenic deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel preparation, minimal hohlraum-plasma-mediated laser backscatter, low threshold-ignition temperatures (≅4 keV) for relaxed hohlraum x-ray flux asymmetry tolerances, and minimal (two-) shock timing requirements. On the other hand, DS ignition presents several formidable challenges, encompassing room-temperature containment of high-pressure DT (≅790 atm) in the inner shell, strict concentricity requirements on the two shells ( 2 nanoporous aerogels with suspended Cu particles. A prototype demonstration of an ignition DS is planned for 2008, incorporating the needed novel nanomaterials science developments and the required fabrication tolerances for a realistic ignition attempt after 2010
Progress towards ignition on the National Ignition Facility
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Edwards, M. J.; Patel, P. K.; Lindl, J. D.; Atherton, L. J.; Glenzer, S. H.; Haan, S. W.; Landen, O. L.; Moses, E. I.; Springer, P. T.; Benedetti, R.; Bernstein, L.; Bleuel, D. L.; Bradley, D. K.; Caggiano, J. A.; Callahan, D. A.; Celliers, P. M.; Cerjan, C. J.; Clark, D. S.; Collins, G. W.; Dewald, E. L. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, Livermore, California 94550 (United States); and others
2013-07-15
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory includes a precision laser system now capable of delivering 1.8 MJ at 500 TW of 0.35-μm light to a target. NIF has been operational since March 2009. A variety of experiments have been completed in support of NIF's mission areas: national security, fundamental science, and inertial fusion energy. NIF capabilities and infrastructure are in place to support its missions with nearly 60 X-ray, optical, and nuclear diagnostic systems. A primary goal of the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) on the NIF was to implode a low-Z capsule filled with ∼0.2 mg of deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel via laser indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion and demonstrate fusion ignition and propagating thermonuclear burn with a net energy gain of ∼5–10 (fusion yield/input laser energy). This requires assembling the DT fuel into a dense shell of ∼1000 g/cm{sup 3} with an areal density (ρR) of ∼1.5 g/cm{sup 2}, surrounding a lower density hot spot with a temperature of ∼10 keV and a ρR ∼0.3 g/cm{sup 2}, or approximately an α-particle range. Achieving these conditions demand precise control of laser and target parameters to allow a low adiabat, high convergence implosion with low ablator fuel mix. We have demonstrated implosion and compressed fuel conditions at ∼80–90% for most point design values independently, but not at the same time. The nuclear yield is a factor of ∼3–10× below the simulated values and a similar factor below the alpha dominated regime. This paper will discuss the experimental trends, the possible causes of the degraded performance (the off-set from the simulations), and the plan to understand and resolve the underlying physics issues.
Study of the shock ignition scheme in inertial confinement fusion
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lafon, M.
2011-01-01
The Shock Ignition (SI) scheme is an alternative to classical ignition schemes in Inertial Confinement Fusion. Its singularity relies on the relaxation of constraints during the compression phase and fulfilment of ignition conditions by launching a short and intense laser pulse (∼500 ps, ∼300 TW) on the pre-assembled fuel at the end of the implosion.In this thesis, it has been established that the SI process leads to a non-isobaric fuel configuration at the ignition time thus modifying the ignition criteria of Deuterium-Tritium (DT) against the conventional schemes. A gain model has been developed and gain curves have been inferred and numerically validated. This hydrodynamical modeling has demonstrated that the SI process allows higher gain and lower ignition energy threshold than conventional ignition due to the high hot spot pressure at ignition time resulting from the ignitor shock propagation.The radiative hydrodynamic CHIC code developed at the CELIA laboratory has been used to determine parametric dependences describing the optimal conditions for target design leading to ignition. These numerical studies have enlightened the potential of SI with regards to saving up laser energy, obtain high gains but also to safety margins and ignition robustness.Finally, the results of the first SI experiments performed in spherical geometry on the OMEGA laser facility (NY, USA) are presented. An interpretation of the experimental data is proposed from mono and bidimensional hydrodynamic simulations. Then, different trails are explored to account for the differences observed between experimental and numerical data and alternative solutions to improve performances are suggested. (author) [fr
Fast Ignition and Sustained Combustion of Ionic Liquids
Joshi, Prakash B. (Inventor); Piper, Lawrence G. (Inventor); Oakes, David B. (Inventor); Sabourin, Justin L. (Inventor); Hicks, Adam J. (Inventor); Green, B. David (Inventor); Tsinberg, Anait (Inventor); Dokhan, Allan (Inventor)
2016-01-01
A catalyst free method of igniting an ionic liquid is provided. The method can include mixing a liquid hypergol with a HAN (Hydroxylammonium nitrate)-based ionic liquid to ignite the HAN-based ionic liquid in the absence of a catalyst. The HAN-based ionic liquid and the liquid hypergol can be injected into a combustion chamber. The HAN-based ionic liquid and the liquid hypergol can impinge upon a stagnation plate positioned at top portion of the combustion chamber.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Winterberg, F.
2009-01-01
The recently proposed super-Marx generator pure deuterium microdetonation ignition concept is compared to the Lawrence Livermore National Ignition Facility (NIF) Laser deuterium-tritium fusion-fission hybrid concept (LIFE). In a super-Marx generator, a large number of ordinary Marx generators charge up a much larger second stage ultrahigh voltage Marx generator from which for the ignition of a pure deuterium microexplosion an intense GeV ion beam can be extracted. Typical examples of the LIFE concept are a fusion gain of 30 and a fission gain of 10, making up a total gain of 300, with about ten times more energy released into fission as compared to fusion. This means the substantial release of fission products, as in fissionless pure fission reactors. In the super-Marx approach for the ignition of pure deuterium microdetonation, a gain of the same magnitude can, in theory, be reached. If feasible, the super-Marx generator deuterium ignition approach would make lasers obsolete as a means for the ignition of thermonuclear microexplosions
EXPERIMENTS AND COMPUTATIONAL MODELING OF PULVERIZED-COAL IGNITION; FINAL
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Samuel Owusu-Ofori; John C. Chen
1999-01-01
Under typical conditions of pulverized-coal combustion, which is characterized by fine particles heated at very high rates, there is currently a lack of certainty regarding the ignition mechanism of bituminous and lower rank coals as well as the ignition rate of reaction. furthermore, there have been no previous studies aimed at examining these factors under various experimental conditions, such as particle size, oxygen concentration, and heating rate. Finally, there is a need to improve current mathematical models of ignition to realistically and accurately depict the particle-to-particle variations that exist within a coal sample. Such a model is needed to extract useful reaction parameters from ignition studies, and to interpret ignition data in a more meaningful way. The authors propose to examine fundamental aspects of coal ignition through (1) experiments to determine the ignition temperature of various coals by direct measurement, and (2) modeling of the ignition process to derive rate constants and to provide a more insightful interpretation of data from ignition experiments. The authors propose to use a novel laser-based ignition experiment to achieve their first objective. Laser-ignition experiments offer the distinct advantage of easy optical access to the particles because of the absence of a furnace or radiating walls, and thus permit direct observation and particle temperature measurement. The ignition temperature of different coals under various experimental conditions can therefore be easily determined by direct measurement using two-color pyrometry. The ignition rate-constants, when the ignition occurs heterogeneously, and the particle heating rates will both be determined from analyses based on these measurements
Progress toward ignition with direct-drive
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
McCrory, R.L. Jr.
1993-01-01
The goal of the direct-drive laser fusion program is to validate high-performance, direct-drive targets. A decision to construct a direct-drive capability on the proposed 1-to-2-MJ National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the USA will be based on target physics experiments conducted on the OMEGA Upgrade laser system now under construction at the LLE. The OMEGA Upgrade will provide up to 30 kJ of UV laser energy in precisely shaped pulses with irradiation nonuniformities in the range of 1 pc. to 2 pc. An understanding and predictive capability for direct-drive targets are required to assure reliable estimates of ignition and gain with 1-2 MJ of incident laser energy. This paper reviews the target physics efforts currently underway to assess the critical physics issues of direct-drive ICF; plans for the experimental program to be carried out on the OMEGA Upgrade laser are also presented. 14 figs., 15 refs
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Rehman, S.; Kouser, R.; Nazir, R.; Manzoor, Z.; Tasneem, G.; Jehan, N.; Nasim, M.H.; Salahuddin, M.
2015-01-01
Dynamics of thermonuclear burn wave propagation assisted by thermal radiation precursor in a heavy ion fast ignition of cylindrical deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel target are studied by two dimensional radiation hydrodynamic simulations using Multi-2D code. Thermal radiations, as they propagate ahead of the burn wave, suffer multiple reflections and preheat the fuel, are found to play a vital role in burn wave dynamics. After fuel ignition, the burn wave propagates in a steady state manner for some time. Multiple reflection and absorption of radiation at the fuel-tamper interface, fuel ablation and radial implosion driven by ablative shock and fast fusion rates on the fuel axis, at relatively later times, result into filamentary wave front. Strong pressure gradients are developed and sausage like structures behind the front are appeared. The situation leads to relatively reduced and non-uniform radial fuel burning and burn wave propagation. The fuel burning due to DD reaction is also taken into account and overall fusion energy and fusion power density, due to DT and DD reactions, during the burn wave propagation are determined as a function of time. (authors)
Ultra-short laser pulses: review of the 3. physics talks, September 17-18, 1998
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lemoine, P.
1999-01-01
This book deals with the operation of lasers with ultra-short pulses and with the laser beam-matter interaction. The applications in concern are: the acceleration of particles, the production of X-ray or photon sources, the micro-machining, the fast ignition in thermonuclear fusion, the production of thin films and the surgery of cornea. (J.S.)
Thermoluminescence fast neutron dosimetry by laser heating
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mathur, V.K.; Brown, M.D.; Braeunlich, P.
1984-01-01
Heating rates in excess of 10 4 K.sec -1 have been achieved for thin layers of TL dosemeters by laser heating. The high heating rate improves the signal to noise ratio up to a factor of 10 3 . Thus sensitive thin film fast neutron dosemeters with negligible self-shielding have become a practical reality. Thin samples of CaSO 4 :Dy have been investigated for their response to fast neutrons from a Pu-Be source and a 14.6 MeV neutron generator by using a hydrogenous radiator. A 15 watt CO 2 laser was focussed on the thin TLD layer to a spot size of less than 1 mm to heat it. An exposure of a few tens of milliseconds was sufficient to obtain a TLD curve, which was displayed and processed by a wave form digitiser. The laser spot could be scanned over the TLD sample by a x-y positioner and a large number of observations were obtained on each sample. Preliminary results show that it is possible to obtain a figure of merit of approx. 5% in a mixed n, γ field. A practical design for a fast neutron dosemeter is proposed. (author)
Study on coal char ignition by radiant heat flux.
Korotkikh, A. G.; Slyusarskiy, K. V.
2017-11-01
The study on coal char ignition by CO2-continuous laser was carried out. The coal char samples of T-grade bituminous coal and 2B-grade lignite were studied via CO2-laser ignition setup. Ignition delay times were determined at ambient condition in heat flux density range 90-200 W/cm2. The average ignition delay time value for lignite samples were 2 times lower while this difference is larger in high heat flux region and lower in low heat flux region. The kinetic constants for overall oxidation reaction were determined using analytic solution of simplified one-dimensional heat transfer equation with radiant heat transfer boundary condition. The activation energy for lignite char was found to be less than it is for bituminous coal char by approximately 20 %.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Popescu, H
2005-10-15
The general context of this study is the Inertial Confinement for thermonuclear controlled fusion and, more precisely, the Fast Igniter (FI). In this context the knowledge of the generation and transport of fast electrons is crucial. This thesis is an experimental study of the generation and transport of fast electrons in the interaction of a high intensity laser ({>=} 10{sup 19} W/cm{sup 2}) with a solid target. The main diagnostic used here is the transition radiation. This radiation depends on the electrons which produce it and thus it gives important information on the electrons: energy, temperature, propagation geometry, etc. The spectral, temporal and spatial analysis permitted to put in evidence the acceleration of periodic electron bunches which, in this case, emit a Coherent Transition Radiation (CTR). During this thesis we have developed some theoretical models in order to explain the experimental results. We find this way two kinds of electron bunches, emitted either at the laser frequency ({omega}{sub 0}), either at the double of this frequency (2{omega}{sub 0}), involving several acceleration mechanisms: vacuum heating / resonance absorption and Lorentz force, respectively. These bunches are also observed in the PIC (particle-in-cell) simulations. The electron temperature is of about 2 MeV in our experimental conditions. The electrons are emitted starting from a point source (which is the laser focal spot) and then propagate in a ballistic way through the target. In some cases they can be re-injected in the target by the electrostatic field from the target edges. This diagnostic is only sensitive to the coherent relativistic electrons, which explains the weak total energy that they contain (about a few mJ). The CTR signal emitted by those fast electrons is largely dominating the signal emitted by the less energetic electrons, even if they contain the major part of the energy (about 1 J). (author)
Ultra-High-Contrast Laser Acceleration of Relativistic Electrons in Solid Targets
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Higginson, Drew Pitney [Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)
2013-01-01
The cone-guided fast ignition approach to Inertial Con nement Fusion requires laser-accelerated relativistic electrons to deposit kilojoules of energy within an imploded fuel core to initiate fusion burn. One obstacle to coupling electron energy into the core is the ablation of material, known as preplasma, by laser energy proceeding nanoseconds prior to the main pulse. This causes the laser-absorption surface to be pushed back hundreds of microns from the initial target surface; thus increasing the distance that electrons must travel to reach the imploded core. Previous experiments have shown an order of magnitude decrease in coupling into surrogate targets when intentionally increasing the amount of preplasma. Additionally, for electrons to deposit energy within the core, they should have kinetic energies on the order of a few MeV, as less energetic electrons will be stopped prior to the core and more energetic electrons will pass through the core without depositing much energy. Thus a quantitative understanding of the electron energy spectrum and how it responds to varied laser parameters is paramount for fast ignition. For the rst time, this dissertation quantitatively investigates the acceleration of electrons using an ultra-high-contrast laser. Ultra-high-contrast lasers reduce the laser energy that reaches the target prior to the main pulse; drastically reducing the amount of preplasma. Experiments were performed in a cone-wire geometry relevant to fast ignition. These experiments irradiated the inner-tip of a Au cone with the laser and observed electrons that passed through a Cu wire attached to the outer-tip of the cone. The total emission of K x-rays is used as a diagnostic to infer the electron energy coupled into the wire. Imaging the x-ray emission allowed an e ective path-length of electrons within the wire to be determined, which constrained the electron energy spectrum. Experiments were carried out on the ultra-high-contrast Trident laser at Los
Advances in inertial confinement fusion at the National Ignition Facility (NIF)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Moses, Edward I.
2010-01-01
The 192-beam National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, CA, is now operational and conducting experiments. NIF, the flagship facility of the U.S. Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Program, will achieve high-energy-density conditions never previously obtained in the laboratory-temperatures over 100 million K, densities of 1000 g/cm 3 , and pressures exceeding 100 billion atmospheres. Such conditions exist naturally only in the interiors of the stars and during thermonuclear burn. Demonstration of ignition and thermonuclear burn in the laboratory is a major NIF goal. To date, the NIF laser has demonstrated all pulse shape, beam quality, energy, and other specifications required to meet the ignition challenge. On March 10, 2009, the NIF laser delivered 1.1 MJ of ultraviolet laser energy to target chamber center, approximately 30 times more energy than any previous facility. The ignition program at NIF is the National Ignition Campaign (NIC), a national collaboration for ignition experimentation with participation from General Atomics, LLNL, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). The achievement of ignition at NIF will demonstrate the scientific feasibility of ICF and focus worldwide attention on fusion as a viable energy option. A particular energy concept under investigation is the LIFE (Laser Inertial Fusion Energy) scheme. The LIFE engine is inherently safe, minimizes proliferation concerns associated with the nuclear fuel cycle, and can provide a sustainable carbon-free energy generation solution in the 21st century. This talk will describe NIF and its potential as a user facility and an experimental platform for high-energy-density science, NIC, and the LIFE approach for clean, sustainable energy.
Advances in Inertial Confinement Fusion at the National Ignition Facility (NIF)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Moses, E.
2009-01-01
The 192-beam National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, CA, is now operational and conducting experiments. NIF, the flagship facility of the U.S. Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Program, will achieve high-energy-density conditions never previously obtained in the laboratory - temperatures over 100 million K, densities of 1,000 g/cm3, and pressures exceeding 100 billion atmospheres. Such conditions exist naturally only in the interiors of the stars and during thermonuclear burn. Demonstration of ignition and thermonuclear burn in the laboratory is a major NIF goal. To date, the NIF laser has demonstrated all pulse shape, beam quality, energy, and other specifications required to meet the ignition challenge. On March 10, 2009, the NIF laser delivered 1.1 MJ of ultraviolet laser energy to target chamber center, approximately 30 times more energy than any previous facility. The ignition program at NIF is the National Ignition Campaign (NIC), a national collaboration for ignition experimentation with participation from General Atomics, LLNL, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). The achievement of ignition at NIF will demonstrate the scientific feasibility of ICF and focus worldwide attention on fusion as a viable energy option. A particular energy concept under investigation is the LIFE (Laser Inertial Fusion Energy) scheme. The LIFE engine is inherently safe, minimizes proliferation concerns associated with the nuclear fuel cycle, and can provide a sustainable carbon-free energy generation solution in the 21st century. This talk will describe NIF and its potential as a user facility and an experimental platform for high-energy-density science, NIC, and the LIFE approach for clean, sustainable energy.
Laser scattering in large-scale-length plasmas relevant to National Ignition Facility hohlraums
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
MacGowan, B.J.; Berger, R.L.; Afeyan, B.B.
1996-10-01
We have used homogeneous plasmas of high density (up to 1.3 X 10 21 electrons per cm 3 ) and temperature (∼ 3 keV) with large density scale lengths (∼2 mm) to approximate conditions within National Ignition Facility (NIF) hohlraums. Within these plasmas we have studied the dependence of stimulated Raman (SRS) and Brillouin (SBS) scattering on beam smoothing and plasma conditions at the relevant laser intensity (3ω, 2 X 10 15 Wcm 2 ). Both SBS and SRS are reduced by the use of smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD)
Korea-China Joint R and D on High Energy Density Sciences using High Power Laser
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kim, Cheol Jung; Nam, S. M.; Park, S. K.; Rhee, Y. J.; Lim, C. H.
2009-02-01
As to the high energy pico-second Peta Watt laser technology for fast ignition, the design of front-end and pre/main amplifier were pursued and the OPCPA technology to increase the aspect ratio by reducing the pre-pulse were developed. Furthermore, the tiled-grating technology to replace a large grating were obtained. As to the fast electron generation and propagation, a solid target was used to generate MeV class electron with TW femto-second laser and a gas cluster was also used to generate MeV class electron with PW femto-second laser at SIOM
Radiative Ignition of fine-ammonium perchlorate composite propellants
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Cain, Jeremy; Brewster, M. Quinn [Department of Mechanical Science and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States)
2006-08-15
Radiative ignition of quasi-homogeneous mixtures of ammonium perchlorate (AP) and hydroxyterminated polybutadiene (HTPB) binder has been investigated experimentally. Solid propellants consisting of fine AP (2 {mu}m) and HTPB binder ({proportional_to}76/24% by mass) were ignited by CO{sub 2} laser radiation. The lower boundary of a go/no-go ignition map (minimum ignition time vs. heat flux) was obtained. Opacity was varied by adding carbon black up to 1% by mass. Ignition times ranged from 0.78 s to 0.076 s for incident fluxes ranging from 60 W/cm{sup 2} to 400 W/cm{sup 2}. It was found that AP and HTPB are sufficiently strongly absorbing of 10.6 {mu}m CO{sub 2} laser radiation (absorption coefficient {approx}250 cm{sup -1}) so that the addition of carbon black in amounts typical of catalysts or opacitymodifying agents (up to 1%) would have only a small influence on radiative ignition times at 10.6 {mu}m. A simple theoretical analysis indicated that the ignition time-flux data are consistent with in-depth absorption effects. Furthermore, this analysis showed that the assumption of surface absorption is not appropriate, even for this relatively opaque system. For broadband visible/near-infrared radiation, such as from burning metal/oxide particle systems, the effects of in-depth absorption would probably be even stronger. (Abstract Copyright [2006], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
Shock Ignition of Thermonuclear Fuel with High Areal Density
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Betti, R.; Zhou, C. D.; Anderson, K. S.; Theobald, W.; Solodov, A. A.; Perkins, L. J.
2007-01-01
A novel method by C. Zhou and R. Betti [Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 50, 140 (2005)] to assemble and ignite thermonuclear fuel is presented. Massive cryogenic shells are first imploded by direct laser light with a low implosion velocity and on a low adiabat leading to fuel assemblies with large areal densities. The assembled fuel is ignited from a central hot spot heated by the collision of a spherically convergent ignitor shock and the return shock. The resulting fuel assembly features a hot-spot pressure greater than the surrounding dense fuel pressure. Such a nonisobaric assembly requires a lower energy threshold for ignition than the conventional isobaric one. The ignitor shock can be launched by a spike in the laser power or by particle beams. The thermonuclear gain can be significantly larger than in conventional isobaric ignition for equal driver energy
Shock ignition of thermonuclear fuel with high areal density.
Betti, R; Zhou, C D; Anderson, K S; Perkins, L J; Theobald, W; Solodov, A A
2007-04-13
A novel method by C. Zhou and R. Betti [Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 50, 140 (2005)] to assemble and ignite thermonuclear fuel is presented. Massive cryogenic shells are first imploded by direct laser light with a low implosion velocity and on a low adiabat leading to fuel assemblies with large areal densities. The assembled fuel is ignited from a central hot spot heated by the collision of a spherically convergent ignitor shock and the return shock. The resulting fuel assembly features a hot-spot pressure greater than the surrounding dense fuel pressure. Such a nonisobaric assembly requires a lower energy threshold for ignition than the conventional isobaric one. The ignitor shock can be launched by a spike in the laser power or by particle beams. The thermonuclear gain can be significantly larger than in conventional isobaric ignition for equal driver energy.
Hot electron spatial distribution under presence of laser light self-focusing in over-dense plasmas
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tanimoto, T; Yabuuchi, T; Habara, H; Kondo, K; Kodama, R; Mima, K; Tanaka, K A; Lei, A L
2008-01-01
In fast ignition for laser thermonuclear fusion, an ultra intense laser (UIL) pulse irradiates an imploded plasma in order to fast-heat a high-density core with hot electrons generated in laser-plasma interactions. An UIL pulse needs to make plasma channel via laser self-focusing and to propagate through the corona plasma to reach close enough to the core. Hot electrons are used for heating the core. Therefore the propagation of laser light in the high-density plasma region and spatial distribution of hot electron are important in issues in order to study the feasibility of this scheme. We measure the spatial distribution of hot electron when the laser light propagates into the high-density plasma region by self-focusing
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Shaw, M; House, R; Williams, W; Haynam, C; White, R; Orth, C; Sacks, R [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, CA, 94550 (United States)], E-mail: shaw7@llnl.gov
2008-05-15
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a stadium-sized facility containing a 192-beam, 1.8 MJ, 500-TW, 351-nm laser system together with a 10-m diameter target chamber with room for many target diagnostics. NIF will be the world's largest laser experimental system, providing a national center to study inertial confinement fusion and the physics of matter at extreme energy densities and pressures. A computational system, the Laser Performance Operations Model (LPOM) has been developed and deployed that automates the laser setup process, and accurately predict laser energetics. LPOM determines the settings of the injection laser system required to achieve the desired main laser output, provides equipment protection, determines the diagnostic setup, and supplies post shot data analysis and reporting.
Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Koester, P.; Antonelli, L.; Atzeni, S.; Badziak, J.; Baffigi, F.; Batani, D.; Cecchetti, C.A.; Chodukowski, T.; Consoli, F.; Cristoforetti, G.; De Angelis, R.; Folpini, G.; Gizzi, L.A.; Kalinowska, Z.; Krouský, Eduard; Kuchařík, M.; Labate, L.; Levato, T.; Liška, R.; Malka, G.; Maheut, Y.; Marocchino, A.; Nicolai, P.; O´Dell, T.; Parys, P.; Pisarczyk, T.; Rączka, P.; Renner, Oldřich; Rhee, Y.-J.; Ribeyre, X.; Richetta, M.; Rosinski, M.; Ryc, L.; Skála, Jiří; Schiavi, A.; Schurtz, G.; Šmíd, Michal; Spindloe, C.; Ullschmied, Jiří; Wolowski, J.; Zaras, A.
2013-01-01
Roč. 55, č. 12 (2013), , "124045-1"-"124045-8" ISSN 0741-3335 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LC528; GA MŠk LM2010014 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 284464 - LASERLAB-EUROPE Institutional support: RVO:68378271 ; RVO:61389021 Keywords : laser-produced plasma s * inertial confinement fusion * shock ignition * X-ray imaging spectroscopy * ion diagnostics * interferometry * shock breakout chron Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 2.386, year: 2013
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Andreev, A.A.; Gus'kov, S.Yu.; Rozanov, V.B.; Il'in, D.V.; Levkovskij, A.A.; Sherman, V.E.
2001-01-01
On the basis of mathematical simulation of thermonuclear burning of DT-plasma of laser targets one calculated G factors of thermonuclear intensification for a space and a spark ignitions at various parameters of target plasma and igniters (both isobaric and isochoric). One calculated the critical parameters of igniters upon reaching of which the efficient thermonuclear burst with G ∼ 100 took place. It is shown that further increase of temperature and of dimensions of igniters does not practically affect the efficiency of DT-fuel burnup and independently of the way of ignition G value may be estimated using a simple asymptotic expression. At the same time the values of the critical parameters of igniters depend essentially on the way of ignition and on target parameters. One studied in detail the spark ignition with isochoric igniter. Thermal energy generated at absorption of supershort additional laser pulse is shown to be the key critical parameter for the optimal isochoric igniters. Critical parameters of this energy are calculated [ru
Longitudinal dynamics of laser-cooled fast ion beams
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Weidemüller, M.; Eike, B.; Eisenbarth, U.
1999-01-01
We present recent results of our experiments on laser cooling of fast stored ion beams at the Heidelberg Test Storage Ring. The longitudinal motion of the ions is directly cooled by the light pressure force, whereas efficient transverse cooling is obtained indirectly by longitudinal-transverse co......We present recent results of our experiments on laser cooling of fast stored ion beams at the Heidelberg Test Storage Ring. The longitudinal motion of the ions is directly cooled by the light pressure force, whereas efficient transverse cooling is obtained indirectly by longitudinal....... When applying laser cooling in square-well buckets over long time intervals, hard Coulomb collisions suddenly disappear and the longitudinal temperature drops by about a factor of three. The observed longitudinal behaviour of the beam shows strong resemblance with the transition to an Coulomb...
Sausage and Kink EMHD Instabilities and Fast Electron transport
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Das, A.; Jain, N.; Kaw, P.; Sengupta, S.
2005-01-01
In the fast ignition concept of laser fusion it is desirable that the hot electron beam generated at the critical layer by the ignitor laser pulse propagates an adequate distance and deposits its energy to the compressed target core in a sufficiently localized region for the creation of hot spot. The mechanisms responsible for energy deposition can be due to (i) the classical coulomb collision cross section and (ii) collective interaction of the beam plasma system. The present work demonstrates a possible electromagnetic turbulence aided collective mechanism of stopping of the energetic electron flow in plasma. (Author)
Recent advances in ignition target physics at CEA
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tassart, J.
2003-01-01
The objective of the Ignition Physics Program at CEA is to burn DT capsules on the Laser Mega Joule (LMJ) at the beginning of the next decade. Recent progress on Laser Plasma Interaction, hohlraum energetics, symmetry, ablator physics and hydrodynamic instabilities allow to remove most of these latter, to precise laser and target specifications and to elaborate a strategy toward ignition. These studies include theoretical work, numerical simulations, diagnostics developments and experiments partly done in collaboration with the US DOE. Construction of facilities is ongoing: LMJ beam prototype is planed to fire 7 kJ at the center of the target chamber at 0.35 mm at the end of 2002 and the LMJ (a 240 beams 1.8 MJ laser) is planned to be ready for experiments at the end of 2009. (author)
National direct-drive program on OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility
Goncharov, V. N.; Regan, S. P.; Campbell, E. M.; Sangster, T. C.; Radha, P. B.; Myatt, J. F.; Froula, D. H.; Betti, R.; Boehly, T. R.; Delettrez, J. A.; Edgell, D. H.; Epstein, R.; Forrest, C. J.; Glebov, V. Yu; Harding, D. R.; Hu, S. X.; Igumenshchev, I. V.; Marshall, F. J.; McCrory, R. L.; Michel, D. T.; Seka, W.; Shvydky, A.; Stoeckl, C.; Theobald, W.; Gatu-Johnson, M.
2017-01-01
A major advantage of the laser direct-drive (DD) approach to ignition is the increased fraction of laser drive energy coupled to the hot spot and relaxed hot-spot requirements for the peak pressure and convergence ratios relative to the indirect-drive approach at equivalent laser energy. With the goal of a successful ignition demonstration using DD, the recently established national strategy has several elements and involves multiple national and international institutions. These elements include the experimental demonstration on OMEGA cryogenic implosions of hot-spot conditions relevant for ignition at MJ-scale energies available at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and developing an understanding of laser-plasma interactions and laser coupling using DD experiments on the NIF. DD designs require reaching central stagnation pressures in excess of 100 Gbar. The current experiments on OMEGA have achieved inferred peak pressures of 56 Gbar (Regan et al 2016 Phys. Rev. Lett. 117 025001). Extensive analysis of the cryogenic target experiments and two- and three-dimensional simulations suggest that power balance, target offset, and target quality are the main limiting factors in target performance. In addition, cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) has been identified as the main mechanism reducing laser coupling. Reaching the goal of demonstrating hydrodynamic equivalence on OMEGA includes improving laser power balance, target position, and target quality at shot time. CBET must also be significantly reduced and several strategies have been identified to address this issue.
Sawada, Hiroshi; Fujioka, S.; Lee, S.; Arikawa, Y.; Shigemori, K.; Nagatomo, H.; Nishimura, H.; Sunahara, A.; Theobald, W.; Perez, F.; Patel, P. K.; Beg, F. N.
2015-11-01
Formation of a high density fusion fuel is essential in both conventional and advanced Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) schemes for the self-sustaining fusion process. In cone-guided Fast Ignition (FI), a metal cone is attached to a spherical target to maintain the path for the injection of an intense short-pulse ignition laser from blow-off plasma created when nanoseconds compression lasers drive the target. We have measured a temporal evolution of a compressed deuterated carbon (CD) sphere using 4.5 keV K-alpha radiography with the Kilo-Joule, picosecond LFEX laser at the Institute of Laser Engineering. A 200 μm CD sphere attached to the tip of a Au cone was directly driven by 9 Gekko XII beams with 300 J/beam in a 1.3 ns Gaussian pulse. The LFEX laser irradiated on a Ti foil to generate 4.51 Ti K-alpha x-ray. By varying the delay between the compression and backlighter lasers, the measured radiograph images show an increase of the areal density of the imploded target. The detail of the quantitative analyses to infer the areal density and comparisons to hydrodynamics simulations will be presented. This work was performed with the support and under the auspices of the NIFS Collaboration Research program (NIFS13KUGK072). H.S. was supported by the UNR's International Activities Grant program.
Ignition tuning for the National Ignition Campaign
Landen O.; Edwards J.; Haan S.W.; Lindl J.D.; Boehly T.R.; Bradley D.K.; Callahan D.A.; Celliers P.M.; Dewald E.L.; Dixit S.; Doeppner T.; Eggert J.; Farley D.; Frenje J.A.; Glenn S.
2013-01-01
The overall goal of the indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion [1] tuning campaigns [2] is to maximize the probability of ignition by experimentally correcting for likely residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics [3] used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models, and by checking for and resolving unexpected shot-to-shot variability in performance [4]. This has been started successfully using a variety of surrogate capsules that set key laser, hohlraum and caps...
Enhanced propagation for relativistic laser pulses in inhomogeneous plasmas using hollow channels.
Fuchs, J; d'Humières, E; Sentoku, Y; Antici, P; Atzeni, S; Bandulet, H; Depierreux, S; Labaune, C; Schiavi, A
2010-11-26
The influence of long (several millimeters) and hollow channels, bored in inhomogeneous ionized plasma by using a long pulse laser beam, on the propagation of short, ultraintense laser pulses has been studied. Compared to the case without a channel, propagation in channels significantly improves beam transmission and maintains a beam quality close to propagation in vacuum. In addition, the growth of the forward-Raman instability is strongly reduced. These results are beneficial for the direct scheme of the fast ignitor concept of inertial confinement fusion as we demonstrate, in fast-ignition-relevant conditions, that with such channels laser energy can be carried through increasingly dense plasmas close to the fuel core with minimal losses.
Fast switching of alkali atom dispensers using laser-induced heating
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Griffin, P.F.; Weatherill, K.J.; Adams, C.S.
2005-01-01
We show that by using an intense laser source to locally heat an alkali atom dispenser, one can generate a high flux of atoms followed by fast recovery (<100 ms) of the background pressure when the laser is extinguished. For repeated heating pulses a switch-on time for the atomic flux of 200 ms is readily attainable. This technique is suited to ultracold atom experiments using simple ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) chambers. Laser-induced heating provides a fast repetition of the experimental cycle, which, combined with low atom loss due to background gas collisions, is particularly useful for experiments involving far-off resonance optical traps, where sufficient laser power (0.5-4 W) is readily available
Preparing for polar-drive ignition on the National Ignition Facility
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
McKenty P.W.
2013-11-01
Full Text Available The implementation of polar drive (PD at the National Ignition Facility (NIF will enable the execution of direct-drive implosions while the facility is configured for x-ray drive. The Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE, in collaboration with LLNL, LANL and GA, is implementing PD on the NIF. LLE has designed and participates in the use of PD implosions for diagnostic commissioning on the NIF. LLE has an active experimental campaign to develop PD in both warm and cryogenic target experiments on OMEGA. LLE and its partners are developing a Polar Drive Project Execution Plan, which will provide a detailed outline of the requirements, resources, and timetable leading to PD-ignition experiments on the NIF.
Generation of laser-induced fast neutron and its application
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cha, Hyung Ki; Lee, S.; Kwon, D.; Nam, S.; Park, S.; Rhee, Y.; Jung, Y.; Lee, K.; Cha, Y.; Kwon, S.; Lim, C.; Han, J.; Park, S.; Chung, C.
2012-04-01
The supply of high-efficiency neutron source is still problematic even though a fast neutron source is being accepted increasingly for industrial applications. Radioisotopes and a neutron tube are typically being used, but their neutron flux, lifetime, and price are the limiting factors for more diverse applications. As ultra high power, short pulse laser technologies have been developed, a neutron source generated via laser induced nuclear reaction comes to the fore. The laser induced neutron source has a high peak flux in comparison to the traditional neutron source and is like a point source with its diameter less than 1 mm. These properties can be utilized effectively for the analysis of pulsed fast neutron activation or the studies of a fast neutron material damage and/or recover. The purpose of R and D here is to develop a robust neutron source with a yield of 107 neutrons/s during 1st R and D stage ('07 ∼ '09) and to construct a stable laser neutron source in longer operation and to demonstrate its usefulness for a neutron activation analysis of explosive materials and a neutron impact analysis of crystalline in the second R and D stage ('10 ∼ '11)
Generation of laser-induced fast neutron and its application
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cha, Hyung Ki; Kwon, D. H.; Nam, S. M.
2010-04-01
The supply of high-efficiency neutron source is still problematic even though a fast neutron source is being accepted increasingly for industrial applications. Radioisotopes and a neutron tube are typically being used, but their neutron flux, lifetime, and price are the limiting factors for more diverse applications. As ultra high power, short pulse laser technologies have been developed, a neutron source generated via laser induced nuclear reaction comes to the fore. The laser induced neutron source has a high peak flux in comparison to the traditional neutron source and is like a point source with its diameter less than 1 mm. These properties can be utilized effectively for the analysis of pulsed fast neutron activation or the studies of a fast neutron material damage and/or recover. The purpose of R and D here is to develop a robust neutron source with a yield of 10 7 neutrons/s, and to carry out a preliminary research for application study in the next research stage
Collimated fast electron beam generation in critical density plasma
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Iwawaki, T., E-mail: iwawaki-t@eie.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp; Habara, H.; Morita, K.; Tanaka, K. A. [Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1, Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Baton, S.; Fuchs, J.; Chen, S. [LULI, CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique-Université Pierre et Marie Curie-CEA, 91128 Palaiseau (France); Nakatsutsumi, M. [LULI, CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique-Université Pierre et Marie Curie-CEA, 91128 Palaiseau (France); European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility (XFEL) GmbH (Germany); Rousseaux, C. [CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon (France); Filippi, F. [La SAPIENZA, University of Rome, Dip. SBAI, 00161 Rome (Italy); Nazarov, W. [School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, Scotland (United Kingdom)
2014-11-15
Significantly collimated fast electron beam with a divergence angle 10° (FWHM) is observed when an ultra-intense laser pulse (I = 10{sup 14 }W/cm{sup 2}, 300 fs) irradiates a uniform critical density plasma. The uniform plasma is created through the ionization of an ultra-low density (5 mg/c.c.) plastic foam by X-ray burst from the interaction of intense laser (I = 10{sup 14 }W/cm{sup 2}, 600 ps) with a thin Cu foil. 2D Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulation well reproduces the collimated electron beam with a strong magnetic field in the region of the laser pulse propagation. To understand the physical mechanism of the collimation, we calculate energetic electron motion in the magnetic field obtained from the 2D PIC simulation. As the results, the strong magnetic field (300 MG) collimates electrons with energy over a few MeV. This collimation mechanism may attract attention in many applications such as electron acceleration, electron microscope and fast ignition of laser fusion.
Ignition and burn control characteristics of thermonuclear plasmas
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Chaniotakis, E.A.
1990-01-01
Achieving the long sought goal of fusion energy requires the attainment of an ignited and controlled thermonuclear plasma. Obtaining an ignited plasma in a tokamak device requires consideration of both the physics of the plasma and the engineering of the machine. With the aide of completely analytical procedure optimized and ignited tokamaks are obtained under various physics assumptions. These designs show the possible advantage of tokamaks characterized by high (∼4.5) aspect ratio, and high (∼15 T) toroidal magnetic field. The control of an ignited plasma is investigated by using auxiliary power modulation. With auxiliary power stable operating points can be created with Q ∼50. Recognizing the need for a fast 1 1/2-D transport model for studying profile effects the plasma transport equations are solved using variational methods. A computer model based on the variational method has been developed. This model solves the 1 1/2-D transport equation very fast with little loss of accuracy. 74 refs., 70 figs., 8 tabs
A novel three-axis cylindrical hohlraum designed for inertial confinement fusion ignition
Kuang, Longyu; Li, Hang; Jing, Longfei; Lin, Zhiwei; Zhang, Lu; Li, Liling; Ding, Yongkun; Jiang, Shaoen; Liu, Jie; Zheng, Jian
2016-10-01
A novel ignition hohlraum for indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion is proposed, which is named three-axis cylindrical hohlraum (TACH). TACH is a kind of 6 laser entrance holes (LEHs) hohlraum, which is orthogonally jointed of three cylindrical hohlraums. Laser beams are injected through every entrance hole with the same incident angle of 55°. A view-factor simulation result shows that the time-varying drive asymmetry of TACH is less than 1.0% in the whole drive pulse period without any supplementary technology. Coupling efficiency of TACH is close to that of 6 LEHs spherical hohlraum with corresponding size. Its plasma-filling time is close to that of typical cylindrical ignition hohlraum. Its laser plasma interaction has as low backscattering as the outer cone of the cylindrical ignition hohlraum. Therefore, TACH combines most advantages of various hohlraums and has little predictable risk, providing an important competitive candidate for ignition hohlraum.
McKenty, P. W.; Collins, T. J. B.; Marozas, J. A.; Campbell, E. M.; Molvig, K.; Schmitt, M.
2017-10-01
The direct-drive ignition design Revolver employs a triple-shell target using a beryllium ablator, a copper driver, and an eventual gold pusher. Symmetric numerical calculations indicate that each of the three shells exhibit low convergence ( 3to 5) resulting in a modest gain (G 4) for 1.7 MJ of incident laser energy. Studies are now underway to evaluate the robustness of this design employing polar direct drive (PDD) at the National Ignition Facility. Integral to these calculations is the leveraging of illumination conditioning afforded by research done to demonstrate ignition for a traditional PDD hot-spot target design. Two-dimensional simulation results, employing nonlocal electron-thermal transport and cross-beam energy transport, will be presented that indicate ignition using PDD. A study of the allowed levels of long-wavelength perturbations (target offset and power imbalance) not precluding ignition will also be examined. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944.
Capsule Performance Optimization in the National Ignition Campaign
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Landen, O L; MacGowan, B J; Haan, S W; Edwards, J
2009-10-13
A capsule performance optimization campaign will be conducted at the National Ignition Facility to substantially increase the probability of ignition. The campaign will experimentally correct for residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models before proceeding to cryogenic-layered implosions and ignition attempts. The required tuning techniques using a variety of ignition capsule surrogates have been demonstrated at the Omega facility under scaled hohlraum and capsule conditions relevant to the ignition design and shown to meet the required sensitivity and accuracy. In addition, a roll-up of all expected random and systematic uncertainties in setting the key ignition laser and target parameters due to residual measurement, calibration, cross-coupling, surrogacy, and scale-up errors has been derived that meets the required budget.
Capsule performance optimization in the national ignition campaign
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Landen, O L; MacGowan, B J; Haan, S W; Edwards, J
2010-01-01
A capsule performance optimization campaign will be conducted at the National Ignition Facility [1] to substantially increase the probability of ignition. The campaign will experimentally correct for residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models before proceeding to cryogenic-layered implosions and ignition attempts. The required tuning techniques using a variety of ignition capsule surrogates have been demonstrated at the Omega facility under scaled hohlraum and capsule conditions relevant to the ignition design and shown to meet the required sensitivity and accuracy. In addition, a roll-up of all expected random and systematic uncertainties in setting the key ignition laser and target parameters due to residual measurement, calibration, cross-coupling, surrogacy, and scale-up errors has been derived that meets the required budget.
Capsule performance optimization in the national ignition campaign
Landen, O. L.; MacGowan, B. J.; Haan, S. W.; Edwards, J.
2010-08-01
A capsule performance optimization campaign will be conducted at the National Ignition Facility [1] to substantially increase the probability of ignition. The campaign will experimentally correct for residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models before proceeding to cryogenic-layered implosions and ignition attempts. The required tuning techniques using a variety of ignition capsule surrogates have been demonstrated at the Omega facility under scaled hohlraum and capsule conditions relevant to the ignition design and shown to meet the required sensitivity and accuracy. In addition, a roll-up of all expected random and systematic uncertainties in setting the key ignition laser and target parameters due to residual measurement, calibration, cross-coupling, surrogacy, and scale-up errors has been derived that meets the required budget.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Amendt, Peter; Colvin, J.D.; Tipton, R.E.; Hinkel, D.E.; Edwards, M.J.; Landen, O.L.; Ramshaw, J.D.; Suter, L.J.; Varnum, W.S.; Watt, R.G.
2002-01-01
Analysis and design of indirect-drive National Ignition Facility double-shell targets with hohlraum temperatures of 200 eV and 250 eV are presented. The analysis of these targets includes the assessment of two-dimensional radiation asymmetry and nonlinear mix. Two-dimensional integrated hohlraum simulations indicate that the x-ray illumination can be adjusted to provide adequate symmetry control in hohlraums specially designed to have high laser-coupling efficiency [Suter et al., Phys. Plasmas 7, 2092 (2000)]. These simulations also reveal the need to diagnose and control localized 10-15 keV x-ray emission from the high-Z hohlraum wall because of strong absorption by the high-Z inner shell. Preliminary estimates of the degree of laser backscatter from an assortment of laser-plasma interactions suggest comparatively benign hohlraum conditions. The application of a variety of nonlinear mix models and phenomenological tools, including buoyancy-drag models, multimode simulations and fall-line optimization, indicates a possibility of achieving ignition, i.e., fusion yields greater than 1 MJ. Planned experiments on the Omega laser will test current understanding of high-energy radiation flux asymmetry and mix-induced yield degradation in double-shell targets
Large optics for the National Ignition Facility
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Baisden, P. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
2015-01-12
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser with its 192 independent laser beams is not only the world’s largest laser, it is also the largest optical system ever built. With its 192 independent laser beams, the NIF requires a total of 7648 large-aperture (meter-sized) optics. One of the many challenges in designing and building NIF has been to carry out the research and development on optical materials, optics design, and optics manufacturing and metrology technologies needed to achieve NIF’s high output energies and precision beam quality. This paper describes the multiyear, multi-supplier, development effort that was undertaken to develop the advanced optical materials, coatings, fabrication technologies, and associated process improvements necessary to manufacture the wide range of NIF optics. The optics include neodymium-doped phosphate glass laser amplifiers; fused silica lenses, windows, and phase plates; mirrors and polarizers with multi-layer, high-reflectivity dielectric coatings deposited on BK7 substrates; and potassium di-hydrogen phosphate crystal optics for fast optical switches, frequency conversion, and polarization rotation. Also included is a discussion of optical specifications and custom metrology and quality-assurance tools designed, built, and fielded at supplier sites to verify compliance with the stringent NIF specifications. In addition, a brief description of the ongoing program to improve the operational lifetime (i.e., damage resistance) of optics exposed to high fluence in the 351-nm (3ω) is provided.
Large optics for the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Baisden, P.
2015-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser with its 192 independent laser beams is not only the world's largest laser, it is also the largest optical system ever built. With its 192 independent laser beams, the NIF requires a total of 7648 large-aperture (meter-sized) optics. One of the many challenges in designing and building NIF has been to carry out the research and development on optical materials, optics design, and optics manufacturing and metrology technologies needed to achieve NIF's high output energies and precision beam quality. This paper describes the multiyear, multi-supplier, development effort that was undertaken to develop the advanced optical materials, coatings, fabrication technologies, and associated process improvements necessary to manufacture the wide range of NIF optics. The optics include neodymium-doped phosphate glass laser amplifiers; fused silica lenses, windows, and phase plates; mirrors and polarizers with multi-layer, high-reflectivity dielectric coatings deposited on BK7 substrates; and potassium di-hydrogen phosphate crystal optics for fast optical switches, frequency conversion, and polarization rotation. Also included is a discussion of optical specifications and custom metrology and quality-assurance tools designed, built, and fielded at supplier sites to verify compliance with the stringent NIF specifications. In addition, a brief description of the ongoing program to improve the operational lifetime (i.e., damage resistance) of optics exposed to high fluence in the 351-nm (3ω) is provided.
Progress towards polar-drive ignition for the NIF
McCrory, R. L.; Betti, R.; Boehly, T. R.; Casey, D. T.; Collins, T. J. B.; Craxton, R. S.; Delettrez, J. A.; Edgell, D. H.; Epstein, R.; Frenje, J. A.; Froula, D. H.; Gatu-Johnson, M.; Glebov, V. Yu.; Goncharov, V. N.; Harding, D. R.; Hohenberger, M.; Hu, S. X.; Igumenshchev, I. V.; Kessler, T. J.; Knauer, J. P.; Li, C. K.; Marozas, J. A.; Marshall, F. J.; McKenty, P. W.; Meyerhofer, D. D.; Michel, D. T.; Myatt, J. F.; Nilson, P. M.; Padalino, S. J.; Petrasso, R. D.; Radha, P. B.; Regan, S. P.; Sangster, T. C.; Séguin, F. H.; Seka, W.; Short, R. W.; Shvydky, A.; Skupsky, S.; Soures, J. M.; Stoeckl, C.; Theobald, W.; Yaakobi, B.; Zuegel, J. D.
2013-11-01
The University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) performs direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research. LLE's Omega Laser Facility is used to study direct-drive ICF ignition concepts, developing an understanding of the underlying physics that feeds into the design of ignition targets for the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The baseline symmetric-illumination, direct-drive-ignition target design consists of a 1.5 MJ multiple-picket laser pulse that generates four shock waves (similar to the NIF baseline indirect-drive design) and is predicted to produce a one-dimensional (1D) gain of 48. LLE has developed the polar-drive (PD) illumination concept (for NIF beams in the x-ray-drive configuration) to allow the pursuit of direct-drive ignition without significant reconfiguration of the beam paths on the NIF. Some less-invasive changes in the NIF infrastructure will be required, including new phase plates, polarization rotators, and a PD-specific beam-smoothing front end. A suite of PD ignition designs with implosion velocities from 3.5 to 4.3 × 107 cm s-1 are predicted to have significant 2D gains (Collins et al 2012 Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 57 155). Verification of the physics basis of these simulations is a major thrust of direct-drive implosion experiments on both OMEGA and the NIF. Many physics issues are being examined with symmetric beam irradiation on OMEGA, varying the implosion parameters over a wide region of design space. Cryogenic deuterium-tritium target experiments with symmetric irradiation have produced areal densities of ˜0.3 g cm-2, ion temperatures over 3 keV, and neutron yields in excess of 20% of the ‘clean’ 1D predicted value. The inferred Lawson criterion figure of merit (Betti R. et al 2010 Phys. Plasmas 17 058102) has increased from 1.7 atm s (IAEA 2010) to 2.6 atm s.
Shock timing technique for the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Munro, David H.; Celliers, Peter M.; Collins, Gilbert W.; Gold, David M.; Silva, Luiz B. da; Haan, Steven W.; Cauble, Robert C.; Hammel, Bruce A.; Hsing, Warren W.
2001-01-01
Among the final shots at the Nova laser [Campbell et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 57, 2101 (1986)] was a series testing the VISAR (velocity interferometry system for any reflector) technique that will be the primary diagnostic for timing the shocks in a NIF (National Ignition Facility) ignition capsule. At Nova, the VISAR technique worked over the range of shock strengths and with the precision required for the NIF shock timing job--shock velocities in liquid D 2 from 12 to 65 μm/ns with better than 2% accuracy. VISAR images showed stronger shocks overtaking weaker ones, which is the basis of the plan for setting the pulse shape for the NIF ignition campaign. The technique is so precise that VISAR measurements may also play a role in certifying beam-to-beam and shot-to-shot repeatability of NIF laser pulses
The National Ignition Facility and the Promise of Inertial Fusion Energy
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Moses, E.I.
2010-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, CA, is now operational. The NIF is the world's most energetic laser system capable of producing 1.8 MJ and 500 TW of ultraviolet light. By concentrating the energy from its 192 extremely energetic laser beams into a mm 3 -sized target, NIF can produce temperatures above 100 million K, densities of 1,000 g/cm 3 , and pressures 100 billion times atmospheric pressure - conditions that have never been created in a laboratory and emulate those in planetary interiors and stellar environments. On September 29, 2010, the first integrated ignition experiment was conducted, demonstrating the successful coordination of the laser, cryogenic target system, array of diagnostics and infrastructure required for ignition demonstration. In light of this strong progress, the U.S. and international communities are examining the implication of NIF ignition for inertial fusion energy (IFE). A laser-based IFE power plant will require a repetition rate of 10-20 Hz and a laser with 10% electrical-optical efficiency, as well as further development and advances in large-scale target fabrication, target injection, and other supporting technologies. These capabilities could lead to a prototype IFE demonstration plant in the 10- to 15-year time frame. LLNL, in partnership with other institutions, is developing a Laser Inertial Fusion Engine (LIFE) concept and examining in detail various technology choices, as well as the advantages of both pure fusion and fusion-fission schemes. This paper will describe the unprecedented experimental capabilities of the NIF and the results achieved so far on the path toward ignition. The paper will conclude with a discussion about the need to build on the progress on NIF to develop an implementable and effective plan to achieve the promise of LIFE as a source of carbon-free energy.
The National Ignition Facility and the Promise of Inertial Fusion Energy
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Moses, E I
2010-12-13
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, CA, is now operational. The NIF is the world's most energetic laser system capable of producing 1.8 MJ and 500 TW of ultraviolet light. By concentrating the energy from its 192 extremely energetic laser beams into a mm{sup 3}-sized target, NIF can produce temperatures above 100 million K, densities of 1,000 g/cm{sup 3}, and pressures 100 billion times atmospheric pressure - conditions that have never been created in a laboratory and emulate those in planetary interiors and stellar environments. On September 29, 2010, the first integrated ignition experiment was conducted, demonstrating the successful coordination of the laser, cryogenic target system, array of diagnostics and infrastructure required for ignition demonstration. In light of this strong progress, the U.S. and international communities are examining the implication of NIF ignition for inertial fusion energy (IFE). A laser-based IFE power plant will require a repetition rate of 10-20 Hz and a laser with 10% electrical-optical efficiency, as well as further development and advances in large-scale target fabrication, target injection, and other supporting technologies. These capabilities could lead to a prototype IFE demonstration plant in the 10- to 15-year time frame. LLNL, in partnership with other institutions, is developing a Laser Inertial Fusion Engine (LIFE) concept and examining in detail various technology choices, as well as the advantages of both pure fusion and fusion-fission schemes. This paper will describe the unprecedented experimental capabilities of the NIF and the results achieved so far on the path toward ignition. The paper will conclude with a discussion about the need to build on the progress on NIF to develop an implementable and effective plan to achieve the promise of LIFE as a source of carbon-free energy.
The volume ignition for ICF ignition target
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Li, Y. S.; He, X. T.; Yu, M.
1997-01-01
Compared with central model, volume ignition has no hot spot, avoids the mixing at the hot-cold interface, the α-particle escaping, and the high convergence, greatly reduces the sharp demanding for uniformity. In laser indirect driving, from theoretical estimation and computational simulation, we have proved that using a tamper with good heat resistance, the DT fuel can be ignited in LTE at ∼3 KeV and then evolves to the non-LTE ignition at >5 KeV. In this case, 1 MJ radiation energy in the hohlraum could cause near 10 MJ output for a pellet with 0.2 mg DT fuel. We have compared results with and without α-particle transport, it shows that in the condition of ρR>0.5 g/cm 2 of DT fuel, both have the same results. For the system with ρR≅0.5 g/cm 2 we can use α-particle local deposition scheme. The non-uniformly doped tamper with density ρ≅1-5 g/cc can reduce mixing due to the small convergence ratio. The input energy is deposited in DT and tamper during the implosion, we try to reduce the tamper energy by changing the ratio of CH and doped Au and the thickness of the tamper
Electron transport and shock ignition
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bell, A R; Tzoufras, M, E-mail: t.bell1@physics.ox.ac.uk [Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU (United Kingdom)
2011-04-15
Inertial fusion energy (IFE) offers one possible route to commercial energy generation. In the proposed 'shock ignition' route to fusion, the target is compressed at a relatively low temperature and then ignited using high intensity laser irradiation which drives a strong converging shock into the centre of the fuel. With a series of idealized calculations we analyse the electron transport of energy into the target, which produces the pressure responsible for driving the shock. We show that transport in shock ignition lies near the boundary between ablative and heat front regimes. Moreover, simulations indicate that non-local effects are significant in the heat front regime and might lead to increased efficiency by driving the shock more effectively and reducing heat losses to the plasma corona.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lagin, L J; Bettenhauasen, R C; Bowers, G A; Carey, R W; Edwards, O D; Estes, C M; Demaret, R D; Ferguson, S W; Fisher, J M; Ho, J C; Ludwigsen, A P; Mathisen, D G; Marshall, C D; Matone, J M; McGuigan, D L; Sanchez, R J; Shelton, R T; Stout, E A; Tekle, E; Townsend, S L; Van Arsdall, P J; Wilson, E F
2007-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a stadium-sized facility under construction that will contain a 192-beam, 1.8-Megajoule, 500-Terawatt, ultraviolet laser system together with a 10-meter diameter target chamber with room for multiple experimental diagnostics. NIF is the world's largest and most energetic laser experimental system, providing a scientific center to study inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and matter at extreme energy densities and pressures. NIF's laser beams are designed to compress fusion targets to conditions required for thermonuclear burn, liberating more energy than required to initiate the fusion reactions. NIF is comprised of 24 independent bundles of 8 beams each using laser hardware that is modularized into more than 6,000 line replaceable units such as optical assemblies, laser amplifiers, and multifunction sensor packages containing 60,000 control and diagnostic points. NIF is operated by the large-scale Integrated Computer Control System (ICCS) in an architecture partitioned by bundle and distributed among over 800 front-end processors and 50 supervisory servers. NIF's automated control subsystems are built from a common object-oriented software framework based on CORBA distribution that deploys the software across the computer network and achieves interoperation between different languages and target architectures. A shot automation framework has been deployed during the past year to orchestrate and automate shots performed at the NIF using the ICCS. In December 2006, a full cluster of 48 beams of NIF was fired simultaneously, demonstrating that the independent bundle control system will scale to full scale of 192 beams. At present, 72 beams have been commissioned and have demonstrated 1.4-Megajoule capability of infrared light. During the next two years, the control system will be expanded to include automation of target area systems including final optics, target positioners and
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lagin, L.J.; Bettenhausen, R.C.; Bowers, G.A.; Carey, R.W.; Edwards, O.D.; Estes, C.M.; Demaret, R.D.; Ferguson, S.W.; Fisher, J.M.; Ho, J.C.; Ludwigsen, A.P.; Mathisen, D.G.; Marshall, C.D.; Matone, J.T.; McGuigan, D.L.; Sanchez, R.J.; Stout, E.A.; Tekle, E.A.; Townsend, S.L.; Van Arsdall, P.J.
2008-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a stadium-sized facility under construction that will contain a 192-beam, 1.8-MJ, 500-TW, ultraviolet laser system together with a 10-m diameter target chamber with room for multiple experimental diagnostics. NIF is the world's largest and most energetic laser experimental system, providing a scientific center to study inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and matter at extreme energy densities and pressures. NIF's laser beams are designed to compress fusion targets to conditions required for thermonuclear burn, liberating more energy than required to initiate the fusion reactions. NIF is comprised of 24 independent bundles of eight beams each using laser hardware that is modularized into more than 6000 line replaceable units such as optical assemblies, laser amplifiers, and multi-function sensor packages containing 60,000 control and diagnostic points. NIF is operated by the large-scale Integrated Computer Control System (ICCS) in an architecture partitioned by bundle and distributed among over 800 front-end processors and 50 supervisory servers. NIF's automated control subsystems are built from a common object-oriented software framework based on CORBA distribution that deploys the software across the computer network and achieves interoperation between different languages and target architectures. A shot automation framework has been deployed during the past year to orchestrate and automate shots performed at the NIF using the ICCS. In December 2006, a full cluster of 48 beams of NIF was fired simultaneously, demonstrating that the independent bundle control system will scale to full scale of 192 beams. At present, 72 beams have been commissioned and have demonstrated 1.4-MJ capability of infrared light. During the next 2 years, the control system will be expanded in preparation for project completion in 2009 to include automation of target area systems including final optics
Fast gas spectroscopy using pulsed quantum cascade lasers
Beyer, T.; Braun, M.; Lambrecht, A.
2003-03-01
Laser spectroscopy has found many industrial applications, e.g., control of automotive exhaust and process monitoring. The midinfrared region is of special interest because it has stronger absorption lines compared to the near infrared (NIR). However, in the NIR high quality reliable laser sources, detectors, and passive optical components are available. A quantum cascade laser could change this situation if fundamental advantages can be exploited with compact and reliable systems. It will be shown that, using pulsed lasers and available fast detectors, lower residual sensitivity levels than in corresponding NIR systems can be achieved. The stability is sufficient for industrial applications.
Inertial fusion experiments and theory
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mima, Kunioki; Tikhonchuk, V.; Perlado, M.
2011-01-01
Inertial fusion research is approaching a critical milestone, namely the demonstration of ignition and burn. The world's largest high-power laser, the National Ignition Facility (NIF), is under operation at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), in the USA. Another ignition machine, Laser Mega Joule (LMJ), is under construction at the CEA/CESTA research centre in France. In relation to the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) at LLNL, worldwide studies on inertial fusion applications to energy production are growing. Advanced ignition schemes such as fast ignition, shock ignition and impact ignition, and the inertial fusion energy (IFE) technology are under development. In particular, the Fast Ignition Realization Experiment (FIREX) at the Institute of Laser Engineering (ILE), Osaka University, and the OMEGA-EP project at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), University Rochester, and the HiPER project in the European Union (EU) for fast ignition and shock ignition are progressing. The IFE technology research and development are advanced in the frameworks of the HiPER project in EU and the LIFE project in the USA. Laser technology developments in the USA, EU, Japan and Korea were major highlights in the IAEA FEC 2010. In this paper, the status and prospects of IFE science and technology are described.
Plasma engineering assessments of compact ignition experiments
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Houlberg, W.A.
1985-01-01
Confinement, startup sequences, and fast-alpha particle effects are assessed for a class of compact tokamak ignition experiments having high toroidal magnetic fields (8 to 12 T) and high toroidal currents (7 to 10 MA). The uncertainties in confinement scaling are spanned through examples of performance with an optimistic model based on ohmically heated plasmas and a pessimistic model that includes confinement degradation by both auxiliary and alpha heating. The roles of neoclassical resistivity enhancement and sawtooth behavior are also evaluated. Copper toroidal field coils place restrictions on pulse lengths due to resistive heating, so a simultaneous rampup of the toroidal field and plasma current is proposed as a means of compressing the startup phase and lengthening the burn phase. If the ignition window is small, fast-alpha particle physics is restricted to the high-density regime where a short slowing-down time leads to low fast-particle density and pressure contributions. Under more optimistic confinement, a larger ignition margin broadens the range of alpha particle physics that can be addressed. These issues are illustrated through examples of transport simulations for a set of machine parameters called BRAND-X, which typify the designs under study
Plasma engineering assessments of compact ignition experiments
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Houlberg, W.A.
1986-01-01
Confinement, startup sequences, and fast-alpha particle effects are assessed for a class of compact tokamak ignition experiments having high toroidal magnetic fields (8-12 T) and high toroidal currents (7-10 MA). The uncertainties in confinement scaling are spanned through examples of performance with an optimistic model based on ohmically heated plasmas and a pessimistic model that includes confinement degradation by both auxiliary and alpha heating. The roles of neoclassical resistivity enhancement and sawtooth behavior are also evaluated. Copper toroidal field coils place restrictions on pulse lengths due to resistive heating, so a simultaneous rampup of the toroidal field and plasma current is proposed as a means of compressing the startup phase and lengthening the burn phase. If the ignition window is small, fast-alpha particle physics is restricted to the high-density regime where a short slowing-down time leads to low fast-particle density and pressure contributions. Under more optimistic confinement, a larger ignition margin broadens the range of alpha particle physics that can be addressed. These issues are illustrated through examples of transport simulations for a set of machine parameters called BRAND-X, which typify the designs under study
Ignition of mercury-free high intensity discharge lamps
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Czichy, M; Mentel, J; Awakowicz, P; Hartmann, T
2008-01-01
To achieve a better understanding of the ignition behaviour of D4 lamps for automotive headlights the ignition of mercury-free metal iodide test lamps characterized by a high xenon pressure, a small electrode distance and small electrode-wall distances is investigated. The ignition of these lamps is dominated by a high voltage requirement. Nevertheless lamps are found that show a surprisingly low ignition voltage. Electrical measurements and simultaneous optical observations of the ultra-fast streamer processes show that the breakdown takes place in two different modes. One of the ignition modes which requires a high ignition voltage is characterized by a breakdown in the volume between the electrode tips. The other mode is characterized by streamer discharges along the wall. In this case the cathode, its base and the wall around is involved in the ignition process and the lamp breaks down at low voltages
A Experimental Study of the Growth of Laser Spark and Electric Spark Ignited Flame Kernels.
Ho, Chi Ming
1995-01-01
Better ignition sources are constantly in demand for enhancing the spark ignition in practical applications such as automotive and liquid rocket engines. In response to this practical challenge, the present experimental study was conducted with the major objective to obtain a better understanding on how spark formation and hence spark characteristics affect the flame kernel growth. Two laser sparks and one electric spark were studied in air, propane-air, propane -air-nitrogen, methane-air, and methane-oxygen mixtures that were initially at ambient pressure and temperature. The growth of the kernels was monitored by imaging the kernels with shadowgraph systems, and by imaging the planar laser -induced fluorescence of the hydroxyl radicals inside the kernels. Characteristic dimensions and kernel structures were obtained from these images. Since different energy transfer mechanisms are involved in the formation of a laser spark as compared to that of an electric spark; a laser spark is insensitive to changes in mixture ratio and mixture type, while an electric spark is sensitive to changes in both. The detailed structures of the kernels in air and propane-air mixtures primarily depend on the spark characteristics. But the combustion heat released rapidly in methane-oxygen mixtures significantly modifies the kernel structure. Uneven spark energy distribution causes remarkably asymmetric kernel structure. The breakdown energy of a spark creates a blast wave that shows good agreement with the numerical point blast solution, and a succeeding complex spark-induced flow that agrees reasonably well with a simple puff model. The transient growth rates of the propane-air, propane-air -nitrogen, and methane-air flame kernels can be interpreted in terms of spark effects, flame stretch, and preferential diffusion. For a given mixture, a spark with higher breakdown energy produces a greater and longer-lasting enhancing effect on the kernel growth rate. By comparing the growth
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Shaw, M; House, R; Haynam, C; Williams, W
2005-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF), currently under construction at the University of California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is a stadium-sized facility containing a 192-beam, 1.8 MJ, 500-TW, 351-nm laser system together with a 10-m diameter target chamber with room for nearly 100 experimental diagnostics. When completed, NIF will be the world's largest laser experimental system, providing a national center to study inertial confinement fusion and the physics of matter at extreme energy densities and pressures. The first four beamlines (a quad) have recently been commissioned, and operations on the first bundle (units of eight beamlines) will begin in Summer 2005. A computational system, the Laser Performance Operations Model (LPOM) has been developed and deployed to automate the laser setup process, and accurately predict laser energetics. For each shot on NIF, the LPOM determines the characteristics of the injection laser system required to achieve the desired main laser output, provides parameter checking for equipment protection, determines the required diagnostic setup, and supplies post-shot data analysis and reporting
Study of suprathermal electron transport in solid or compressed matter for the fast-ignitor scheme
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Perez, F.
2010-01-01
The inertial confinement fusion (ICF) concept is widely studied nowadays. It consists in quickly compressing and heating a small spherical capsule filled with fuel, using extremely energetic lasers. Since approximately 15 years, the fast-ignition (FI) technique has been proposed to facilitate the fuel heating by adding a particle beam - electrons generated by an ultra-intense laser - at the exact moment when the capsule compression is at its maximum. This thesis constitutes an experimental study of these electron beams generated by picosecond-scale lasers. We present new results on the characteristics of these electrons after they are accelerated by the laser (energy, divergence, etc.) as well as their interaction with the matter they pass through. The experimental results are explained and reveal different aspects of these laser-accelerated fast electrons. Their analysis allowed for significant progress in understanding several mechanisms: how they are injected into solid matter, how to measure their divergence, and how they can be automatically collimated inside compressed matter. (author) [fr
The First Experiments on the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Glenzer, S. H.; Dewald, E. L.; Landen, O. L.; Suter, L. J.; Jones, O. S.; Schein, J.; Froula, L.; Divol, K.; Campbell, K.; Schneider, M. S.; McDonal, J. W.; Niemann, C.; Mackinnon, A. J.
2005-01-01
Recently the first hohlraum and laser propagation experiments have been performed at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in support of indirect dd drive Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICR) and High Energy Density Physics. Vacuum hohlraums have been irradiated with laser powers up to 8 TW, 1-9 ns pulse lengths and energies up to 17 kJ to activate several drive diagnostics, to study the hohlraum radiation temperature scaling with the lase power and hohlraum size, and to make contact with hohlraum experiments performed at the NOVA and Omega laser facilities. The experiments have validated analytical models and LASNEX calculations of hohlraum plasma filling and coronal hohlraum radiation production. furthermore, the effects of laser beam smooching by spectral dispersion (SSD) and polarization smoothing (PS) on the laser beam propagation has been studied in plasmas with sizes that reach for the first time the laser propagation length in indirect-drive gas-filled ignition hohlraum designs. the long scale gas-filled target experiments have shown propagation over 7 mm of low Z plasma without filamentation and beam break up when using full laser smoothing. The comparison of these results with modeling will be discussed. (Author)
The First Experiments on the National Ignition Facility
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Glenzer, S. H.; Dewald, E. L.; Landen, O. L.; Suter, L. J.; Jones, O. S.; Schein, J.; Froula, L.; Divol, K.; Campbell, K.; Schneider, M. S.; McDonal, J. W.; Niemann, C.; Mackinnon, A. J.
2005-07-01
Recently the first hohlraum and laser propagation experiments have been performed at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in support of indirect dd drive Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICR) and High Energy Density Physics. Vacuum hohlraums have been irradiated with laser powers up to 8 TW, 1-9 ns pulse lengths and energies up to 17 kJ to activate several drive diagnostics, to study the hohlraum radiation temperature scaling with the lase power and hohlraum size, and to make contact with hohlraum experiments performed at the NOVA and Omega laser facilities. The experiments have validated analytical models and LASNEX calculations of hohlraum plasma filling and coronal hohlraum radiation production. furthermore, the effects of laser beam smooching by spectral dispersion (SSD) and polarization smoothing (PS) on the laser beam propagation has been studied in plasmas with sizes that reach for the first time the laser propagation length in indirect-drive gas-filled ignition hohlraum designs. the long scale gas-filled target experiments have shown propagation over 7 mm of low Z plasma without filamentation and beam break up when using full laser smoothing. The comparison of these results with modeling will be discussed. (Author)
Hydrodynamic modelling of the shock ignition scheme for inertial confinement fusion
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Vallet, Alexandra
2014-01-01
The shock ignition concept in inertial confinement fusion uses an intense power spike at the end of an assembly laser pulse. The key features of shock ignition are the generation of a high ablation pressure, the shock pressure amplification by at least a factor of a hundred in the cold fuel shell and the shock coupling to the hot-spot. In this thesis, new semi-analytical hydrodynamic models are developed to describe the ignitor shock from its generation up to the moment of fuel ignition. A model is developed to describe a spherical converging shock wave in a pre-heated hot spot. The self-similar solution developed by Guderley is perturbed over the shock Mach number Ms ≥≥1. The first order correction accounts for the effects of the shock strength. An analytical ignition criterion is defined in terms of the shock strength and the hot-spot areal density. The ignition threshold is higher when the initial Mach number of the shock is lower. A minimal shock pressure of 20 Gbar is needed when it enters the hot-spot. The shock dynamics in the imploding shell is then analyzed. The shock is propagating into a non inertial medium with a high radial pressure gradient and an overall pressure increase with time. The collision with a returning shock coming from the assembly phase enhances further the ignitor shock pressure. The analytical theory allows to describe the shock pressure and strength evolution in a typical shock ignition implosion. It is demonstrated that, in the case of the HiPER target design, a generation shock pressure near the ablation zone on the order of 300-400 Mbar is needed. An analysis of experiments on the strong shock generation performed on the OMEGA laser facility is presented. It is shown that a shock pressure close to 300 Mbar near the ablation zone has been reached with an absorbed laser intensity up to 2 * 10 15 W:cm -2 and a laser wavelength of 351 nm. This value is two times higher than the one expected from collisional laser absorption only
Generation and Beaming of Early Hot Electrons onto the Capsule in Laser-Driven Ignition Hohlraums
Dewald, E. L.; Hartemann, F.; Michel, P.; Milovich, J.; Hohenberger, M.; Pak, A.; Landen, O. L.; Divol, L.; Robey, H. F.; Hurricane, O. A.; Döppner, T.; Albert, F.; Bachmann, B.; Meezan, N. B.; MacKinnon, A. J.; Callahan, D.; Edwards, M. J.
2016-02-01
In hohlraums for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions on the National Ignition Facility, suprathermal hot electrons, generated by laser plasma instabilities early in the laser pulse ("picket") while blowing down the laser entrance hole (LEH) windows, can preheat the capsule fuel. Hard x-ray imaging of a Bi capsule surrogate and of the hohlraum emissions, in conjunction with the measurement of time-resolved bremsstrahlung spectra, allows us to uncover for the first time the directionality of these hot electrons and infer the capsule preheat. Data and Monte Carlo calculations indicate that for most experiments the hot electrons are emitted nearly isotropically from the LEH. However, we have found cases where a significant fraction of the generated electrons are emitted in a collimated beam directly towards the capsule poles, where their local energy deposition is up to 10 × higher than the average preheat value and acceptable levels for ICF implosions. The observed "beaming" is consistent with a recently unveiled multibeam stimulated Raman scattering model [P. Michel et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 055003 (2015)], where laser beams in a cone drive a common plasma wave on axis. Finally, we demonstrate that we can control the amount of generated hot electrons by changing the laser pulse shape and hohlraum plasma.
High-energy x-ray microscopy of laser-fusion plasmas at the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Koch, J.A.; Landen, O.L.; Hammel, B.A.
1997-01-01
Multi-keV x-ray microscopy will be an important laser-produced plasma diagnostic at future megajoule facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF).In preparation for the construction of this facility, we have investigated several instrumentation options in detail, and we conclude that near normal incidence single spherical or toroidal crystals may offer the best general solution for high-energy x-raymicroscopy at NIF and at similar large facilities. Kirkpatrick-Baez microscopes using multi-layer mirrors may also be good secondary options, particularly if apertures are used to increase the band-width limited field of view
Spherical strong-shock generation for shock-ignition inertial fusion
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Theobald, W.; Seka, W.; Lafon, M.; Anderson, K. S.; Hohenberger, M.; Marshall, F. J.; Michel, D. T.; Solodov, A. A.; Stoeckl, C.; Edgell, D. H.; Yaakobi, B.; Shvydky, A. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics and Fusion Science Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Nora, R.; Betti, R. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics and Fusion Science Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Physics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Casner, A.; Reverdin, C. [CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon (France); Ribeyre, X.; Vallet, A. [Université de Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, CELIA (Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications) UMR 5107 F-33400 Talence (France); Peebles, J.; Beg, F. N. [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States); and others
2015-05-15
Recent experiments on the Laboratory for Laser Energetics' OMEGA laser have been carried out to produce strong shocks in solid spherical targets with direct laser illumination. The shocks are launched at pressures of several hundred Mbars and reach Gbar upon convergence. The results are relevant to the validation of the shock-ignition scheme and to the development of an OMEGA experimental platform to study material properties at Gbar pressures. The experiments investigate the strength of the ablation pressure and the hot-electron production at incident laser intensities of ∼2 to 6 × 10{sup 15 }W/cm{sup 2} and demonstrate ablation pressures exceeding 300 Mbar, which is crucial to developing a shock-ignition target design for the National Ignition Facility. The timing of the x-ray flash from shock convergence in the center of the solid plastic target is used to infer the ablation and shock pressures. Laser–plasma instabilities produce hot-electrons with a moderate temperature (<100 keV). The instantaneous conversion efficiencies of laser power into hot-electron power reached up to ∼15% in the intensity spike. The large amount of hot electrons is correlated with an earlier x-ray flash and a strong increase in its magnitude. This suggests that hot electrons contribute to the augmentation of the shock strength.
OMEGA EP high-energy petawatt laser: progress and prospects
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Maywar, D N; Kelly, J H; Waxer, L J; Morse, S F B; Begishev, I A; Bromage, J; Dorrer, C; Edwards, J L; Folnsbee, L; Guardalben, M J; Jacobs, S D; Jungquist, R; Kessler, T J; Kidder, R W; Kruschwitz, B E; Loucks, S J; Marciante, J R; McCrory, R L; Meyerhofer, D D; Okishev, A V
2008-01-01
OMEGA EP (extended performance) is a petawatt-class addition to the existing 30-kJ, 60-beam OMEGA Laser Facility at the University of Rochester. It will enable high-energy picosecond backlighting of high-energy-density experiments and inertial confinement fusion implosions, the investigation of advanced-ignition experiments such as fast ignition, and the exploration of high-energy-density phenomena. The OMEGA EP short-pulse beams have the flexibility to be directed to either the existing OMEGA target chamber, or the new, auxiliary OMEGA EP target chamber for independent experiments. This paper will detail progress made towards activation, which is on schedule for completion in April 2008
Laser Interaction and Related Plasma Phenomena: 13th International Conference. Proceedings
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Miley, G.H.; Campbell, E.M.; Hogan, W.J.; Maille-Petersen, C.; Coppedge, H.; Montoya, E.
1997-01-01
These proceedings contain papers presented at the Thirteenth International Conference on Laser Interaction and Related Plasma Phenomena held in Monterey, California in April, 1997. Topics covered in the conference included laser design, alternate concepts in volume ignition and advance fuels, beam/plasma interactions, nuclear-pumped lasers, alternate fast ignitors, heavy ion fusions, laser-ion beam interactions, extreme short-pulse interactions, high-energy-density plasma physics, and hydrodynamic instabilities. The conference was sponsored in part by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory of the United States Department of Energy. There were 80 papers presented and 23 have been abstracted for the Energy Science and Technology database
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Goyon, Clement
2014-01-01
Shock ignition is an alternative direct-drive scheme for inertial fusion that consists in two steps. The first one is a several nanoseconds long compression with low intensity beams. The second one is a several hundred of picoseconds stage using high intensity beams to create a converging shock leading to ignition. During the second phase, the laser beam goes through a long and hot under-critical plasma. However, the coupling of this intense pulse with the coronal plasma has not been much studied experimentally or numerically. Then, the energy absorbed as well as the role of parametric instabilities regarding reflected or transmitted intensity cannot be predicted. In this PhD dissertation, we describe an experimental study of an intense laser pulse between 2.10 15 W/cm 2 and 2.10 16 W/cm 2 interacting with millimetric plasma heated close to one keV. We begin with a theoretical description of the interaction conditions in the coronal plasma. Brillouin scattering is in strongly coupled regime, Raman instability is kinetic regime and laser intensity is above ponderomotive filamentation threshold. We recreate these interaction conditions experimentally by means of pre-heated targets which are foams or thin plastic foils. Then, we present the first measurements of time resolved backscattered spectra from the smoothed picosecond beam as well as transmitted intensity distribution through the plasma. We find that Brillouin instability can be responsible for up to 60% reflectivity in plasmas with electronic density close to critical while Raman reflectivity stays at low levels. Transmitted intensity distribution is smoothed by the propagation and its diameter increases compared to the laser focal spot in vacuum. Finally, we discuss interaction measurements in nanosecond regime to highlight the fact that parametric instabilities reduction is essential for shock ignition to be a successful scheme. (author) [fr
Applications of super - high intensity lasers in nuclear engineering
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Salomaa, R.; Hakola, A.; Santala, M.
2007-01-01
Laser-plasma interactions arising when a super intense ultrashort laser pulse impinges a solid target creates intense partly collimated and energy resolved photons, high energy electron and protons and neutrons. In addition the plasma plume can generate huge magnetic and electric fields. Also ultra short X-ray pulses are created. We have participated in some of such experiments at Rutherford and Max-Planck Institute and assessed the applications of such kind as laser-driven accelerators. This paper discusses applications in nuclear engineering (neutron sources, isotope separation, fast ignition and transmutation, etc). In particular the potential for extreme time resolution and to partial energy resolution are assessed
Physical characteristics of welding arc ignition process
Shi, Linan; Song, Yonglun; Xiao, Tianjiao; Ran, Guowei
2012-07-01
The existing research of welding arc mainly focuses on the stable combustion state and the research on the mechanism of welding arc ignition process is quite lack. The tungsten inert gas(TIG) touch arc ignition process is observed via a high speed camera and the high time resolution spectral diagnosis system. The changing phenomenon of main ionized element provided the electrons in the arc ignition is found. The metallic element is the main contributor to provide the electrons at the beginning of the discharging, and then the excitated shielding gas element replaces the function of the metallic element. The electron density during the period of the arc ignition is calculated by the Stark-broadened lines of Hα. Through the discussion with the repeatability in relaxation phenomenon, the statistical regularity in the arc ignition process is analyzed. The similar rules as above are observed through the comparison with the laser-assisted arc ignition experiments and the metal inert gas(MIG) arc ignition experiments. This research is helpful to further understanding on the generation mechanism of welding arc ignition and also has a certain academic and practical significance on enriching the welding physical theoretical foundation and improving the precise monitoring on automatic arc welding process.
Kinetic mechanism of plasma-assisted ignition of hydrocarbons
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kosarev, I N; Aleksandrov, N L; Kindysheva, S V; Starikovskaia, S M; Starikovskii, A Yu
2008-01-01
Ignition of hydrocarbon-containing gaseous mixtures has been studied experimentally and numerically under the action of a high-voltage nanosecond discharge at elevated temperatures. Ignition delay times were measured behind a reflected shock wave in stoichiometric C n H 2n+2 : O 2 mixtures (10%) diluted with Ar (90%) for n = 1-5. It was shown that the application of the gas discharge leads to more than an order of magnitude decrease in ignition delay time for all hydrocarbons under consideration. The measured values of ignition delay time agree well with the results of a numerical simulation of the ignition based on the calculation of atom and radical production during the discharge and in its afterglow. The analysis of simulation results showed that a non-equilibrium plasma favours the ignition mainly due to O atoms produced in the active phase of the discharge. (fast track communication)
Implosion dynamics measurements at the National Ignition Facility
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hicks, D. G.; Meezan, N. B.; Dewald, E. L.; Mackinnon, A. J.; Callahan, D. A.; Doeppner, T.; Benedetti, L. R.; Bradley, D. K.; Celliers, P. M.; Clark, D. S.; Di Nicola, P.; Dixit, S. N.; Dzenitis, E. G.; Eggert, J. E.; Farley, D. R.; Glenn, S. M.; Glenzer, S. H.; Hamza, A. V.; Heeter, R. F.; Holder, J. P. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States); and others
2012-12-15
Measurements have been made of the in-flight dynamics of imploding capsules indirectly driven by laser energies of 1-1.7 MJ at the National Ignition Facility [Miller et al., Nucl. Fusion 44, 228 (2004)]. These experiments were part of the National Ignition Campaign [Landen et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 051002 (2011)] to iteratively optimize the inputs required to achieve thermonuclear ignition in the laboratory. Using gated or streaked hard x-ray radiography, a suite of ablator performance parameters, including the time-resolved radius, velocity, mass, and thickness, have been determined throughout the acceleration history of surrogate gas-filled implosions. These measurements have been used to establish a dynamically consistent model of the ablative drive history and shell compressibility throughout the implosion trajectory. First results showed that the peak velocity of the original 1.3-MJ Ge-doped polymer (CH) point design using Au hohlraums reached only 75% of the required ignition velocity. Several capsule, hohlraum, and laser pulse changes were then implemented to improve this and other aspects of implosion performance and a dedicated effort was undertaken to test the sensitivity of the ablative drive to the rise time and length of the main laser pulse. Changing to Si rather than Ge-doped inner ablator layers and increasing the pulse length together raised peak velocity to 93% {+-} 5% of the ignition goal using a 1.5 MJ, 420 TW pulse. Further lengthening the pulse so that the laser remained on until the capsule reached 30% (rather than 60%-70%) of its initial radius, reduced the shell thickness and improved the final fuel {rho}R on companion shots with a cryogenic hydrogen fuel layer. Improved drive efficiency was observed using U rather than Au hohlraums, which was expected, and by slowing the rise time of laser pulse, which was not. The effect of changing the Si-dopant concentration and distribution, as well as the effect of using a larger initial shell
Implosion dynamics measurements at the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hicks, D. G.; Meezan, N. B.; Dewald, E. L.; Mackinnon, A. J.; Callahan, D. A.; Döppner, T.; Benedetti, L. R.; Bradley, D. K.; Celliers, P. M.; Clark, D. S.; Di Nicola, P.; Dixit, S. N.; Dzenitis, E. G.; Eggert, J. E.; Farley, D. R.; Glenn, S. M.; Glenzer, S. H.; Hamza, A. V.; Heeter, R. F.; Holder, J. P.
2012-01-01
Measurements have been made of the in-flight dynamics of imploding capsules indirectly driven by laser energies of 1–1.7 MJ at the National Ignition Facility [Miller et al., Nucl. Fusion 44, 228 (2004)]. These experiments were part of the National Ignition Campaign [Landen et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 051002 (2011)] to iteratively optimize the inputs required to achieve thermonuclear ignition in the laboratory. Using gated or streaked hard x-ray radiography, a suite of ablator performance parameters, including the time-resolved radius, velocity, mass, and thickness, have been determined throughout the acceleration history of surrogate gas-filled implosions. These measurements have been used to establish a dynamically consistent model of the ablative drive history and shell compressibility throughout the implosion trajectory. First results showed that the peak velocity of the original 1.3-MJ Ge-doped polymer (CH) point design using Au hohlraums reached only 75% of the required ignition velocity. Several capsule, hohlraum, and laser pulse changes were then implemented to improve this and other aspects of implosion performance and a dedicated effort was undertaken to test the sensitivity of the ablative drive to the rise time and length of the main laser pulse. Changing to Si rather than Ge-doped inner ablator layers and increasing the pulse length together raised peak velocity to 93% ± 5% of the ignition goal using a 1.5 MJ, 420 TW pulse. Further lengthening the pulse so that the laser remained on until the capsule reached 30% (rather than 60%–70%) of its initial radius, reduced the shell thickness and improved the final fuel ρR on companion shots with a cryogenic hydrogen fuel layer. Improved drive efficiency was observed using U rather than Au hohlraums, which was expected, and by slowing the rise time of laser pulse, which was not. The effect of changing the Si-dopant concentration and distribution, as well as the effect of using a larger initial shell
Implosion dynamics measurements at the National Ignition Facility
Hicks, D. G.; Meezan, N. B.; Dewald, E. L.; Mackinnon, A. J.; Olson, R. E.; Callahan, D. A.; Döppner, T.; Benedetti, L. R.; Bradley, D. K.; Celliers, P. M.; Clark, D. S.; Di Nicola, P.; Dixit, S. N.; Dzenitis, E. G.; Eggert, J. E.; Farley, D. R.; Frenje, J. A.; Glenn, S. M.; Glenzer, S. H.; Hamza, A. V.; Heeter, R. F.; Holder, J. P.; Izumi, N.; Kalantar, D. H.; Khan, S. F.; Kline, J. L.; Kroll, J. J.; Kyrala, G. A.; Ma, T.; MacPhee, A. G.; McNaney, J. M.; Moody, J. D.; Moran, M. J.; Nathan, B. R.; Nikroo, A.; Opachich, Y. P.; Petrasso, R. D.; Prasad, R. R.; Ralph, J. E.; Robey, H. F.; Rinderknecht, H. G.; Rygg, J. R.; Salmonson, J. D.; Schneider, M. B.; Simanovskaia, N.; Spears, B. K.; Tommasini, R.; Widmann, K.; Zylstra, A. B.; Collins, G. W.; Landen, O. L.; Kilkenny, J. D.; Hsing, W. W.; MacGowan, B. J.; Atherton, L. J.; Edwards, M. J.
2012-12-01
Measurements have been made of the in-flight dynamics of imploding capsules indirectly driven by laser energies of 1-1.7 MJ at the National Ignition Facility [Miller et al., Nucl. Fusion 44, 228 (2004)]. These experiments were part of the National Ignition Campaign [Landen et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 051002 (2011)] to iteratively optimize the inputs required to achieve thermonuclear ignition in the laboratory. Using gated or streaked hard x-ray radiography, a suite of ablator performance parameters, including the time-resolved radius, velocity, mass, and thickness, have been determined throughout the acceleration history of surrogate gas-filled implosions. These measurements have been used to establish a dynamically consistent model of the ablative drive history and shell compressibility throughout the implosion trajectory. First results showed that the peak velocity of the original 1.3-MJ Ge-doped polymer (CH) point design using Au hohlraums reached only 75% of the required ignition velocity. Several capsule, hohlraum, and laser pulse changes were then implemented to improve this and other aspects of implosion performance and a dedicated effort was undertaken to test the sensitivity of the ablative drive to the rise time and length of the main laser pulse. Changing to Si rather than Ge-doped inner ablator layers and increasing the pulse length together raised peak velocity to 93% ± 5% of the ignition goal using a 1.5 MJ, 420 TW pulse. Further lengthening the pulse so that the laser remained on until the capsule reached 30% (rather than 60%-70%) of its initial radius, reduced the shell thickness and improved the final fuel ρR on companion shots with a cryogenic hydrogen fuel layer. Improved drive efficiency was observed using U rather than Au hohlraums, which was expected, and by slowing the rise time of laser pulse, which was not. The effect of changing the Si-dopant concentration and distribution, as well as the effect of using a larger initial shell thickness
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hohenberger, M., E-mail: mhoh@lle.rochester.edu; Stoeckl, C. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Albert, F.; Palmer, N. E.; Döppner, T.; Divol, L.; Dewald, E. L.; Bachmann, B.; MacPhee, A. G.; LaCaille, G.; Bradley, D. K. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States); Lee, J. J. [National Security Technologies LLC, Livermore, California 94551 (United States)
2014-11-15
In laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, hot electrons can preheat the fuel and prevent fusion-pellet compression to ignition conditions. Measuring the hot-electron population is key to designing an optimized ignition platform. The hot electrons in these high-intensity, laser-driven experiments, created via laser-plasma interactions, can be inferred from the bremsstrahlung generated by hot electrons interacting with the target. At the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [G. H. Miller, E. I. Moses, and C. R. Wuest, Opt. Eng. 43, 2841 (2004)], the filter-fluorescer x-ray (FFLEX) diagnostic–a multichannel, hard x-ray spectrometer operating in the 20–500 keV range–has been upgraded to provide fully time-resolved, absolute measurements of the bremsstrahlung spectrum with ∼300 ps resolution. Initial time-resolved data exhibited significant background and low signal-to-noise ratio, leading to a redesign of the FFLEX housing and enhanced shielding around the detector. The FFLEX x-ray sensitivity was characterized with an absolutely calibrated, energy-dispersive high-purity germanium detector using the high-energy x-ray source at NSTec Livermore Operations over a range of K-shell fluorescence energies up to 111 keV (U K{sub β}). The detectors impulse response function was measured in situ on NIF short-pulse (∼90 ps) experiments, and in off-line tests.
Resolving a central ICF issue for ignition: Implosion symmertry
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cray, M.; Delamater, N.D.; Fernandez, J.C.
1994-01-01
The Los Alamos National Laboratory Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Program focuses on resolving key target-physics issues and developing technology needed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This work is being performed in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). A major requirement for the indirect-drive NIF ignition target is to achieve the irradiation uniformity on the capsule surface needed for a symmetrical high-convergence implosion. Los Alamos employed an integrated modeling technique using the Lasnex radiation-hydrodynamics code to design two different targets that achieve ignition and moderate gain. Los Alamos is performing experiments on the Nova Laser at LLNL in order to validate our NIF ignition calculations
Progress towards polar-drive ignition for the NIF
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
McCrory, R.L.; Betti, R.; Boehly, T.R.; Collins, T.J.B.; Craxton, R.S.; Delettrez, J.A.; Edgell, D.H.; Epstein, R.; Froula, D.H.; Glebov, V.Yu.; Goncharov, V.N.; Harding, D.R.; Hohenberger, M.; Hu, S.X.; Igumenshchev, I.V.; Kessler, T.J.; Knauer, J.P.; Casey, D.T.; Frenje, J.A.; Gatu-Johnson, M.
2013-01-01
The University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) performs direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research. LLE's Omega Laser Facility is used to study direct-drive ICF ignition concepts, developing an understanding of the underlying physics that feeds into the design of ignition targets for the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The baseline symmetric-illumination, direct-drive–ignition target design consists of a 1.5 MJ multiple-picket laser pulse that generates four shock waves (similar to the NIF baseline indirect-drive design) and is predicted to produce a one-dimensional (1D) gain of 48. LLE has developed the polar-drive (PD) illumination concept (for NIF beams in the x-ray–drive configuration) to allow the pursuit of direct-drive ignition without significant reconfiguration of the beam paths on the NIF. Some less-invasive changes in the NIF infrastructure will be required, including new phase plates, polarization rotators, and a PD-specific beam-smoothing front end. A suite of PD ignition designs with implosion velocities from 3.5 to 4.3 × 10 7 cm s −1 are predicted to have significant 2D gains (Collins et al 2012 Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 57 155). Verification of the physics basis of these simulations is a major thrust of direct-drive implosion experiments on both OMEGA and the NIF. Many physics issues are being examined with symmetric beam irradiation on OMEGA, varying the implosion parameters over a wide region of design space. Cryogenic deuterium–tritium target experiments with symmetric irradiation have produced areal densities of ∼0.3 g cm −2 , ion temperatures over 3 keV, and neutron yields in excess of 20% of the ‘clean’ 1D predicted value. The inferred Lawson criterion figure of merit (Betti R. et al 2010 Phys. Plasmas 17 058102) has increased from 1.7 atm s (IAEA 2010) to 2.6 atm s. (paper)
Role of the laboratory for laser energetics in the National Ignition Facility Project
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Soures, J.M.; Loucks, S.J.; McCrory, R.L.
1996-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a 192-beam, 1.8-MJ (ultraviolet) laser facility that is currently planned to start operating in 2002. The NIF mission is to provide data critical to this Nation's science-based stockpile stewardship (SBSS) program and to advance the understanding of inertial confinement fusion and assess its potential as an energy source. The NIF project involves a collaboration among the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Sandia National Laboratory (SNL), and the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics (UR/LLE). In this paper, the role of the University of Rochester in the research, development, and planning required to assure the success of the NIF will be presented. The principal roles of the UR/LLE in the NIF are (1) validation of the direct-drive approach to NIF using the OMEGA 60-beam, 40-kJ UV laser facility; (2) support of indirect-drive physics experiments using OMEGA in collaboration with LLNL and LANL; (3) development of plasma diagnostics for NIF; (4) development of beam-smoothing techniques; and (5) development of thin-film coatings for NIF and cryogenic-fuel-layer targets for eventual application to NIF. 3 refs., 6 figs
Fast DNA analysis by laser mass spectrometry for human genome analysis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tang, K.; Taranenko, N. I.; Allman, S. L.; Chang, L. Y.; Chen, C. H.
1995-01-01
Fast DNA sequencing by laser mass spectrometry is possible if the following 3 criteria are met: (1) Size of DNA fragment should be greater than 300 nucleotides. (2) Enough sensitivity to detect DNA produce from polymerases chain reactins (PCR). (3) Higher resolution of mass spectr. So far, the firt 2 criteria are met: If the resolution can be significantly improve, fast DNA sequencing by laser mass spectrometry weil be a reality in the near feature
Fast parallel diffractive multi-beam femtosecond laser surface micro-structuring
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Zheng Kuang, E-mail: z.kuang@liv.ac.uk [Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brodie Building, Liverpool L69 3GQ (United Kingdom); Dun Liu; Perrie, Walter; Edwardson, Stuart; Sharp, Martin; Fearon, Eamonn; Dearden, Geoff; Watkins, Ken [Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brodie Building, Liverpool L69 3GQ (United Kingdom)
2009-04-15
Fast parallel femtosecond laser surface micro-structuring is demonstrated using a spatial light modulator (SLM). The Gratings and Lenses algorithm, which is simple and computationally fast, is used to calculate computer generated holograms (CGHs) producing diffractive multiple beams for the parallel processing. The results show that the finite laser bandwidth can significantly alter the intensity distribution of diffracted beams at higher angles resulting in elongated hole shapes. In addition, by synchronisation of applied CGHs and the scanning system, true 3D micro-structures are created on Ti6Al4V.
Capsule Performance Optimization for the National Ignition Facility
Landen, Otto
2009-11-01
The overall goal of the capsule performance optimization campaign is to maximize the probability of ignition by experimentally correcting for likely residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models before proceeding to cryogenic-layered implosions and ignition attempts. This will be accomplished using a variety of targets that will set key laser, hohlraum and capsule parameters to maximize ignition capsule implosion velocity, while minimizing fuel adiabat, core shape asymmetry and ablator-fuel mix. The targets include high Z re-emission spheres setting foot symmetry through foot cone power balance [1], liquid Deuterium-filled ``keyhole'' targets setting shock speed and timing through the laser power profile [2], symmetry capsules setting peak cone power balance and hohlraum length [3], and streaked x-ray backlit imploding capsules setting ablator thickness [4]. We will show how results from successful tuning technique demonstration shots performed at the Omega facility under scaled hohlraum and capsule conditions relevant to the ignition design meet the required sensitivity and accuracy. We will also present estimates of all expected random and systematic uncertainties in setting the key ignition laser and target parameters due to residual measurement, calibration, cross-coupling, surrogacy, and scale-up errors, and show that these get reduced after a number of shots and iterations to meet an acceptable level of residual uncertainty. Finally, we will present results from upcoming tuning technique validation shots performed at NIF at near full-scale. Prepared by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. [4pt] [1] E. Dewald, et. al. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 79 (2008) 10E903. [0pt] [2] T.R. Boehly, et. al., Phys. Plasmas 16 (2009) 056302. [0pt] [3] G. Kyrala, et. al., BAPS 53 (2008) 247. [0pt] [4] D. Hicks, et. al., BAPS 53 (2008) 2.
Fast widely-tunable single-frequency 2-micron laser for remote-sensing applications
Henderson, Sammy W.; Hale, Charley P.
2017-08-01
We are developing a family of fast, widely-tunable cw diode-pumped single frequency solid-state lasers, called Swift. The Swift laser architecture is compatible with operation using many different solid-state laser crystals for operation at various emission lines between 1 and 2.1 micron. The initial prototype Swift laser using a Tm,Ho:YLF laser crystal near 2.05 micron wavelength achieved over 100 mW of single frequency cw output power, up to 50 GHz-wide, fast, mode-hop-free piezoelectric tunability, and 100 kHz/ms frequency stability. For the Tm,Ho:YLF laser material, the fast 50 GHz tuning range can be centered at any wavelength from 2047-2059 nm using appropriate intracavity spectral filters. The frequency stability and power are sufficient to serve as the local oscillator (LO) laser in long-range coherent wind-measuring lidar systems, as well as a frequency-agile master oscillator (MO) or injection-seed source for larger pulsed transmitter lasers. The rapid and wide frequency tunablity meets the requirements for integrated-path or range-resolved differential absorption lidar or applications where targets with significantly different line of sight velocities (Doppler shifts) must be tracked. Initial demonstration of an even more compact version of the Swift is also described which requires less prime power and produces less waste heat.
Prompt ignition of a unipolar arc on helium irradiated tungsten
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kajita, Shin; Takamura, Shuichi; Ohno, Noriyasu
2009-01-01
A fibreform nanostructured layer is formed on a tungsten surface by helium plasma bombardment. The helium fluence was of the order of 10 26 m -2 , and the surface temperature and incident ion energy during helium irradiation were, respectively, 1900 K and 75 eV. By irradiating a laser pulse to the surface in the plasma, a unipolar arc, which many people have tried to verify in well-defined experiments, is promptly initiated and continued for a much longer time than the laser pulse width. The laser pulse width (∼0.6 ms) and power (∼5 MJ m -2 ) are similar to the heat load accompanied by type-I edge localized modes (ELMs) in ITER. The unipolar arc is verified from an increase in the floating potential, a moving arc spot detected by a fast camera and arcing traces on the surface. This result suggests that the nanostructure on the tungsten surface formed by the bombardment of helium, which is a fusion product, could significantly change the ignition property of arcing, and ELMs become a trigger of unipolar arcing, which would be a great impurity source in fusion devices. (letter)
Dopant-induced ignition of helium nanoplasmas—a mechanistic study
Heidenreich, Andreas; Schomas, Dominik; Mudrich, Marcel
2017-12-01
Helium (He) nanodroplets irradiated by intense near-infrared laser pulses form a nanoplasma by avalanche-like electron impact ionizations (EIIs) even at lower laser intensities where He is not directly field ionized, provided that the droplets contain a few dopant atoms which provide seed electrons for the EII avalanche. In this theoretical paper on calcium and xenon doped He droplets we elucidate the mechanism which induces ionization avalanches, termed ignition. We find that the partial loss of seed electrons from the activated droplets starkly assists ignition, as the Coulomb barrier for ionization of helium is lowered by the electric field of the dopant cations, and this deshielding of the cation charges enhances their electric field. In addition, the dopant ions assist the acceleration of the seed electrons (slingshot effect) by the laser field, supporting EIIs of He and also causing electron loss by catapulting electrons away. The dopants’ ability to lower the Coulomb barriers at He as well as the slingshot effect decrease with the spatial expansion of the dopant, causing a dependence of the dopants’ ignition capability on the dopant mass. Here, we develop criteria (impact count functions) to assess the ignition capability of dopants, based on (i) the spatial overlap of the seed electron cloud with the He atoms and (ii) the overlap of their kinetic energy distribution with the distribution of Coulomb barrier heights at He. The relatively long time delays between the instants of dopant ionization and ignition (incubation times) for calcium doped droplets are determined to a large extent by the time it takes to deshield the dopant ions.
Capsule implosion optimization during the indirect-drive National Ignition Campaign
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Landen, O. L.; Edwards, J.; Haan, S. W.; Robey, H. F.; Milovich, J.; Spears, B. K.; Weber, S. V.; Clark, D. S.; Lindl, J. D.; MacGowan, B. J.; Moses, E. I.; Atherton, J.; Amendt, P. A.; Bradley, D. K.; Braun, D. G.; Callahan, D. A.; Celliers, P. M.; Collins, G. W.; Dewald, E. L.; Divol, L.
2011-01-01
Capsule performance optimization campaigns will be conducted at the National Ignition Facility [G. H. Miller, E. I. Moses, and C. R. Wuest, Nucl. Fusion 44, 228 (2004)] to substantially increase the probability of ignition. The campaigns will experimentally correct for residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models using a variety of ignition capsule surrogates before proceeding to cryogenic-layered implosions and ignition experiments. The quantitative goals and technique options and down selections for the tuning campaigns are first explained. The computationally derived sensitivities to key laser and target parameters are compared to simple analytic models to gain further insight into the physics of the tuning techniques. The results of the validation of the tuning techniques at the OMEGA facility [J. M. Soures et al., Phys. Plasmas 3, 2108 (1996)] under scaled hohlraum and capsule conditions relevant to the ignition design are shown to meet the required sensitivity and accuracy. A roll-up of all expected random and systematic uncertainties in setting the key ignition laser and target parameters due to residual measurement, calibration, cross-coupling, surrogacy, and scale-up errors has been derived that meets the required budget. Finally, we show how the tuning precision will be improved after a number of shots and iterations to meet an acceptable level of residual uncertainty.
Capsule implosion optimization during the indirect-drive National Ignition Campaign
Landen, O. L.; Edwards, J.; Haan, S. W.; Robey, H. F.; Milovich, J.; Spears, B. K.; Weber, S. V.; Clark, D. S.; Lindl, J. D.; MacGowan, B. J.; Moses, E. I.; Atherton, J.; Amendt, P. A.; Boehly, T. R.; Bradley, D. K.; Braun, D. G.; Callahan, D. A.; Celliers, P. M.; Collins, G. W.; Dewald, E. L.; Divol, L.; Frenje, J. A.; Glenzer, S. H.; Hamza, A.; Hammel, B. A.; Hicks, D. G.; Hoffman, N.; Izumi, N.; Jones, O. S.; Kilkenny, J. D.; Kirkwood, R. K.; Kline, J. L.; Kyrala, G. A.; Marinak, M. M.; Meezan, N.; Meyerhofer, D. D.; Michel, P.; Munro, D. H.; Olson, R. E.; Nikroo, A.; Regan, S. P.; Suter, L. J.; Thomas, C. A.; Wilson, D. C.
2011-05-01
Capsule performance optimization campaigns will be conducted at the National Ignition Facility [G. H. Miller, E. I. Moses, and C. R. Wuest, Nucl. Fusion 44, 228 (2004)] to substantially increase the probability of ignition. The campaigns will experimentally correct for residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models using a variety of ignition capsule surrogates before proceeding to cryogenic-layered implosions and ignition experiments. The quantitative goals and technique options and down selections for the tuning campaigns are first explained. The computationally derived sensitivities to key laser and target parameters are compared to simple analytic models to gain further insight into the physics of the tuning techniques. The results of the validation of the tuning techniques at the OMEGA facility [J. M. Soures et al., Phys. Plasmas 3, 2108 (1996)] under scaled hohlraum and capsule conditions relevant to the ignition design are shown to meet the required sensitivity and accuracy. A roll-up of all expected random and systematic uncertainties in setting the key ignition laser and target parameters due to residual measurement, calibration, cross-coupling, surrogacy, and scale-up errors has been derived that meets the required budget. Finally, we show how the tuning precision will be improved after a number of shots and iterations to meet an acceptable level of residual uncertainty.
An imaging proton spectrometer for short-pulse laser plasma experiments
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Chen Hui; Hazi, A. U.; Maren, R. van; Chen, S. N.; Le Pape, S.; Rygg, J. R.; Shepherd, R.; Fuchs, J.; Gauthier, M.
2010-01-01
The ultraintense short pulse laser pulses incident on solid targets can generate energetic protons. In addition to their potentially important applications such as in cancer treatments and proton fast ignition, these protons are essential to understand the complex physics of intense laser plasma interaction. To better characterize these laser-produced protons, we designed and constructed a novel spectrometer that will not only measure proton energy distribution with high resolution but also provide its angular characteristics. The information obtained from this spectrometer compliments those from commonly used diagnostics including radiochromic film packs, CR39 nuclear track detectors, and nonimaging magnetic spectrometers. The basic characterizations and sample data from this instrument are presented.
An imaging proton spectrometer for short-pulse laser plasma experiments
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Chen Hui; Hazi, A. U.; Maren, R. van; Chen, S. N.; Le Pape, S.; Rygg, J. R.; Shepherd, R. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livemore, California 94551 (United States); Fuchs, J.; Gauthier, M. [LULI Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex (France)
2010-10-15
The ultraintense short pulse laser pulses incident on solid targets can generate energetic protons. In addition to their potentially important applications such as in cancer treatments and proton fast ignition, these protons are essential to understand the complex physics of intense laser plasma interaction. To better characterize these laser-produced protons, we designed and constructed a novel spectrometer that will not only measure proton energy distribution with high resolution but also provide its angular characteristics. The information obtained from this spectrometer compliments those from commonly used diagnostics including radiochromic film packs, CR39 nuclear track detectors, and nonimaging magnetic spectrometers. The basic characterizations and sample data from this instrument are presented.
Fast ion beam-laser interactions
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Berry, H.G.; Young, L.; Engstroem, L.; Hardis, J.E.; Somerville, L.P.; Ray, W.J.; Kurtz, C.
1985-01-01
The authors are using collinear laser excitation of fast ion beams to study a number of atomic structure problems. The problems include the determination of fine and hyperfine structure in light positive and negative ions, plus measurements of absolute wavelengths of light from two-electron ions. In addition the authors intend to use a similar experimental arrangement to study excitation and decay of high Rydberg states first in the absence of fields and then in crossed electric and magnetic fields
Full aperture backscatter diagnostic for the NIF laser facility (abstract)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sewall, Noel; Lewis, Izzy; Kirkwood, Robert; Moody, John; Celeste, John
2001-01-01
The current schemes for achieving ignition on the National Ignition Facility require efficient coupling of energy from 192 laser beams to the deuterium--tritium fuel capsule. Each laser beam must propagate through a long scalelength plasma region before being converted to x rays (indirect drive) or being absorbed on the capsule (direct drive). Laser-plasma instabilities such as stimulated Brillouin and stimulated Raman scattering (SBS and SRS) will scatter a fraction of the incident laser energy out of the target leading to an overall reduction in the coupling efficiency. It is important to measure the character of this scattered light in order to understand it and to develop methods for reducing it to acceptable levels. We are designing a system called the full aperature backscatter diagnostic with the capability to measure the time-dependent amplitude and spectral content of the light which is backscattered through the incident beam focusing optic. The backscattered light will be collected over about 85% of the full beam aperture and separated into the SBS wavelength band (348--354 nm) and the SRS wavelength band (400--700 nm). Spectrometers coupled to streak cameras will provide time-resolved spectra for both scattered light components. The scattered light amplitude will be measured with fast and slow diodes. The entire system will be routinely calibrated. Analysis of the data will provide important information for reducing scattered power, achieving power balance, and finally achieving ignition
Efficient energy absorption of intense ps-laser pulse into nanowire target
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Habara, H.; Honda, S.; Katayama, M.; Tanaka, K. A. [Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Sakagami, H. [National Institute for Fusion Science, Toki, Gifu 509-5292 (Japan); Nagai, K. [Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagatsuda 4259, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503, Kanagawa (Japan)
2016-06-15
The interaction between ultra-intense laser light and vertically aligned carbon nanotubes is investigated to demonstrate efficient laser-energy absorption in the ps laser-pulse regime. Results indicate a clear enhancement of the energy conversion from laser to energetic electrons and a simultaneously small plasma expansion on the surface of the target. A two-dimensional plasma particle calculation exhibits a high absorption through laser propagation deep into the nanotube array, even for a dense array whose structure is much smaller than the laser wavelength. The propagation leads to the radial expansion of plasma perpendicular to the nanotubes rather than to the front side. These features may contribute to fast ignition in inertial confinement fusion and laser particle acceleration, both of which require high current and small surface plasma simultaneously.
Review of studies for thermonuclear ignition with 1.8 MJ laser (LMJ): theory and experiment
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Holstein, P.A.; Bastian, J.; Bowen, C.; Casanova, M.; Chaland, F.; Cherfils, C.; Dattolo, E.; Galmiche, D.; Gauthier, P.; Giorla, J.; Laffite, S.; Liberatore, S.; Loiseau, P.; Larroche, O.; Lours, L.; Malinie, G.; Masse, L.; Monteil, M.C.; Morice, O.; Paillard, D.; Poggi, F.; Saillard, Y.; Seytor, P.; Teychenne, D.; Vandenboomgaerde, M.; Wagon, F.; Bonnefille, M.; Hedde, T.; Lefebvre, E.; Riazuelo, G.; Babonneau, D.; Primout, M.; Casner, A.; Depierreux, S.; Girard, F.; Huser, G.; Jadaud, J.P.; Juraszek, D.; Miquel, J.L.; Naudy, M.; Philippe, F.; Rousseaux, C.; Videau, L.
2008-01-01
The purpose of the laser Megajoule (LMJ) is the ignition of thermonuclear fusion reactions in a microscopic capsule of cryogenic DT whose implosion is obtained by a laser pulse in the range of 10 -20 ns, delivering a power of 400 - 500 TW. In this report we have tried to gather in one document the main part of the work made from 1995 to 2005 by the teams of Cea/DAM to design the LMJ targets. This report deals with the targets adapted to the laser energy of 1.8 MJ corresponding to 60 laser beams (called quadruplets because of their 4 beamlets), so primarily, with the target called A1040. The targets studied more recently adapted to lower laser energy are too new to appear in it. It concerns all the topics of the physics of target LMJ: laser-plasma interaction, radiative budget of the hohlraum, implosion interaction, hydrodynamic instabilities and robustness of the target to the technological uncertainties. The approach made for the robustness study is original and makes it possible to specify the features of the laser and the targets. This review scans all the aspects of the target design done with numerical simulations of bi-dimensional radiative hydrodynamics but it points out also the main results of the experiments made with the lasers Phebus, Nova and Omega for 20 years. This review also addresses to scientist not specialists in the problems of inertial confinement fusion. It is organized by topics of physics and the experiments appear at the end of each chapter. It does not concern the aspects of target fabrication nor the problems of diagnostic. (authors)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mehlhorn, T A; Bailey, J E; Bennett, G; Chandler, G A; Cooper, G; Cuneo, M E; Golovkin, I; Hanson, D L; Leeper, R J; MacFarlane, J J; Mancini, R C; Matzen, M K; Nash, T J; Olson, C L; Porter, J L; Ruiz, C L; Schroen, D G; Slutz, S A; Varnum, W; Vesey, R A
2003-01-01
Inertial confinement fusion capsule implosions absorbing up to 35 kJ of x-rays from a ∼220 eV dynamic hohlraum on the Z accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories have produced thermonuclear D-D neutron yields of (2.6±1.3) x 10 10 . Argon spectra confirm a hot fuel with T e ∼ 1 keV and n e ∼ (1-2) x 10 23 cm -3 . Higher performance implosions will require radiation symmetry control improvements. Capsule implosions in a ∼70 eV double-Z-pinch-driven secondary hohlraum have been radiographed by 6.7 keV x-rays produced by the Z-beamlet laser (ZBL), demonstrating a drive symmetry of about 3% and control of P 2 radiation asymmetries to ±2%. Hemispherical capsule implosions have also been radiographed in Z in preparation for future experiments in fast ignition physics. Z-pinch-driven inertial fusion energy concepts are being developed. The refurbished Z machine (ZR) will begin providing scaling information on capsule and Z-pinch in 2006. The addition of a short pulse capability to ZBL will enable research into fast ignition physics in the combination of ZR and ZBL-petawatt. ZR could provide a test bed to study NIF-relevant double-shell ignition concepts using dynamic hohlraums and advanced symmetry control techniques in the double-pinch hohlraum backlit by ZBL
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Bailey, James E.; Chandler, Gordon Andrew; Vesey, Roger Alan; Hanson, David Lester; Olson, Craig Lee; Nash, Thomas J.; Matzen, Maurice Keith; Ruiz, Carlos L.; Porter, John Larry Jr.; Cuneo, Michael Edward; Varnum, William S.; Bennett, Guy R.; Cooper, Gary Wayne; Schroen, Diana Grace; Slutz, Stephen A.; MacFarlane, Joseph John; Leeper, Ramon Joe; Golovkin, I.E.; Mehlhorn, Thomas Alan; Mancini, Roberto Claudio
2003-01-01
Inertial confinement fusion capsule implosions absorbing up to 35 kJ of x-rays from a ∼220 eV dynamic hohlraum on the Z accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories have produced thermonuclear D-D neutron yields of (2.6 ± 1.3) x 10 10 . Argon spectra confirm a hot fuel with Te ∼ 1 keV and n e ∼ (1-2) x 10 23 cm -3 . Higher performance implosions will require radiation symmetry control improvements. Capsule implosions in a ∼70 eV double-Z-pinch-driven secondary hohlraum have been radiographed by 6.7 keV x-rays produced by the Z-beamlet laser (ZBL), demonstrating a drive symmetry of about 3% and control of P 2 radiation asymmetries to ±2%. Hemispherical capsule implosions have also been radiographed in Z in preparation for future experiments in fast ignition physics. Z-pinch-driven inertial fusion energy concepts are being developed. The refurbished Z machine (ZR) will begin providing scaling information on capsule and Z-pinch in 2006. The addition of a short pulse capability to ZBL will enable research into fast ignition physics in the combination of ZR and ZBL-petawatt. ZR could provide a test bed to study NIF-relevant double-shell ignition concepts using dynamic hohlraums and advanced symmetry control techniques in the double-pinch hohlraum backlit by ZBL.
Intermediate species measurement during iso-butanol auto-ignition
Ji, Weiqi
2015-10-01
© 2015 The Combustion Institute.Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. This work presents the time histories of intermediate species during the auto-ignition of iso-butanol at high pressure and intermediate temperature conditions obtained using a rapid compression machine and recently developed fast sampling system. Iso-butanol ignition delays were acquired for iso-butanol/O2 mixture with an inert/O2 ratio of 7.26, equivalence ratio of 0.4, in the temperature range of 840-950 K and at pressure of 25 bar. Fast sampling and gas chromatography were used to acquire and quantify the intermediate species during the ignition delay of the same mixture at P = 25.3 bar and T = 905 K. The ignition delay times and quantitative measurements of the mole fraction time histories of methane, ethene, propene, iso-butene, iso-butyraldehyde, iso-butanol, and carbon monoxide were compared with predictions from the detailed mechanisms developed by Sarathy et al., Merchant et al., and Cai et al. It is shown that while the Sarathy mechanism well predicts the overall ignition delay time, it overpredicts ethene by a factor of 6-10, underpredicts iso-butene by a factor of 2, and overpredicts iso-butyraldehyde by a factor of 2. Reaction path and sensitivity analyses were carried out to identify the reactions responsible for the observed inadequacy. The rates of iso-butanol hydrogen atom abstraction by OH radical and the beta-scission reactions of hydroxybutyl radicals were updated based on recently published quantum calculation results. Significant improvements were achieved in predicting ignition delay at high pressures (25 and 30 bar) and the species concentrations of ethene and iso-butene. However, the updated mechanism still overpredicts iso-butyraldehyde concentrations. Also, the updated mechanism degrades the prediction in ignition delay at lower pressure (15 bar) compared to the original mechanism developed by Sarathy et al.
Intermediate species measurement during iso-butanol auto-ignition
Ji, Weiqi; Zhang, Peng; He, Tanjin; Wang, Zhi; Tao, Ling; He, Xin; Law, Chung K.
2015-01-01
© 2015 The Combustion Institute.Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. This work presents the time histories of intermediate species during the auto-ignition of iso-butanol at high pressure and intermediate temperature conditions obtained using a rapid compression machine and recently developed fast sampling system. Iso-butanol ignition delays were acquired for iso-butanol/O2 mixture with an inert/O2 ratio of 7.26, equivalence ratio of 0.4, in the temperature range of 840-950 K and at pressure of 25 bar. Fast sampling and gas chromatography were used to acquire and quantify the intermediate species during the ignition delay of the same mixture at P = 25.3 bar and T = 905 K. The ignition delay times and quantitative measurements of the mole fraction time histories of methane, ethene, propene, iso-butene, iso-butyraldehyde, iso-butanol, and carbon monoxide were compared with predictions from the detailed mechanisms developed by Sarathy et al., Merchant et al., and Cai et al. It is shown that while the Sarathy mechanism well predicts the overall ignition delay time, it overpredicts ethene by a factor of 6-10, underpredicts iso-butene by a factor of 2, and overpredicts iso-butyraldehyde by a factor of 2. Reaction path and sensitivity analyses were carried out to identify the reactions responsible for the observed inadequacy. The rates of iso-butanol hydrogen atom abstraction by OH radical and the beta-scission reactions of hydroxybutyl radicals were updated based on recently published quantum calculation results. Significant improvements were achieved in predicting ignition delay at high pressures (25 and 30 bar) and the species concentrations of ethene and iso-butene. However, the updated mechanism still overpredicts iso-butyraldehyde concentrations. Also, the updated mechanism degrades the prediction in ignition delay at lower pressure (15 bar) compared to the original mechanism developed by Sarathy et al.
Laser-driven Ion Acceleration using Nanodiamonds
D'Hauthuille, Luc; Nguyen, Tam; Dollar, Franklin
2016-10-01
Interactions of high-intensity lasers with mass-limited nanoparticles enable the generation of extremely high electric fields. These fields accelerate ions, which has applications in nuclear medicine, high brightness radiography, as well as fast ignition for inertial confinement fusion. Previous studies have been performed with ensembles of nanoparticles, but this obscures the physics of the interaction due to the wide array of variables in the interaction. The work presented here looks instead at the interactions of a high intensity short pulse laser with an isolated nanodiamond. Specifically, we studied the effect of nanoparticle size and intensity of the laser on the interaction. A novel target scheme was developed to isolate the nanodiamond. Particle-in-cell simulations were performed using the EPOCH framework to show the sheath fields and resulting energetic ion beams.
Progress in high-energy laser technology
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Miyanaga, Noriaki; Kitagawa, Yoneyoshi; Nakatsuka, Masahiro; Kanabe, Tadashi; Okuda, Isao
2005-01-01
The technological development of high-energy lasers is one of the key issues in laser fusion research. This paper reviews several technologies on the Nd:glass laser and KrF excimer laser that are being used in the current laser fusion experiments and related plasma experiments. Based on the GEKKO laser technology, a new high-energy Nd: glass laser system, which can deliver energy from 10 kJ (boad-band operation) to 20 kJ (narrow-band operation), is under construction. The key topics in KrF laser development are improved efficiency and repetitive operation, which aim at the development of a laser driven for fusion reactor. Ultra-intense-laser technology is also very important for fast ignition research. The key technology for obtaining the petawatt output with high beam quality is reviewed. Regarding the uniform laser irradiation required for high-density compression, the beam-smoothing methods on the GEKKO XII laser are reviewed. Finally, we discuss the present status of MJ-class lasers throughout the world, and summarize by presenting the feasibility of various applications of the high-energy lasers to a wide range of scientific and technological fields. (author)
Ultra-fast movies of thin-film laser ablation
Domke, Matthias; Rapp, Stephan; Schmidt, Michael; Huber, Heinz P.
2012-11-01
Ultra-short-pulse laser irradiation of thin molybdenum films from the glass substrate side initiates an intact Mo disk lift off free from thermal effects. For the investigation of the underlying physical effects, ultra-fast pump-probe microscopy is used to produce stop-motion movies of the single-pulse ablation process, initiated by a 660-fs laser pulse. The ultra-fast dynamics in the femtosecond and picosecond ranges are captured by stroboscopic illumination of the sample with an optically delayed probe pulse of 510-fs duration. The nanosecond and microsecond delay ranges of the probe pulse are covered by an electronically triggered 600-ps laser. Thus, the setup enables an observation of general laser ablation processes from the femtosecond delay range up to the final state. A comparison of time- and space-resolved observations of film and glass substrate side irradiation of a 470-nm molybdenum layer reveals the driving mechanisms of the Mo disk lift off initiated by glass-side irradiation. Observations suggest that a phase explosion generates a liquid-gas mixture in the molybdenum/glass interface about 10 ps after the impact of the pump laser pulse. Then, a shock wave and gas expansion cause the molybdenum layer to bulge, while the enclosed liquid-gas mixture cools and condenses at delay times in the 100-ps range. The bulging continues for approximately 20 ns, when an intact Mo disk shears and lifts off at a velocity of above 70 m/s. As a result, the remaining hole is free from thermal effects.
Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging of Electron Heated Targets in Petawatt Laser Experiments
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ma, T.; MacPhee, A.; Key, M.; Akli, K.; Mackinnon, A.; Chen, C.; Barbee, T.; Freeman, R.; King, J.; Link, A.; Offermann, D.; Ovchinnikov, V.; Patel, P.; Stephens, R.; VanWoerkom, L.; Zhang, B.; Beg, F.
2007-01-01
The study of the transport of electrons, and the flow of energy into a solid target or dense plasma, is instrumental in the development of fast ignition inertial confinement fusion. An extreme ultraviolet (XUV) imaging diagnostic at 256 eV and 68 eV provides information about heating and energy deposition within petawatt laser-irradiated targets. XUV images of several irradiated solid targets are presented
Iodine laser of high efficiency and fast repetition rate
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hohla, K; Witte, K J
1976-07-01
The scaling laws of an iodine laser of high efficiency and fast repetition rate are reported. The laser is pumped with a new kind of low pressure Hg-UV-lamps which convert 32% of the electrical input in UV-light in the absorption band of the iodine laser and which can be fired up to 100 Hz. Details of a 10 kJ/1 nsec system as dimensions, energy density, repetition rate, flow velocity, gas composition and gas pressure and the overall efficiency are given which is expected to be about 2%.
Simulations of Converging Shock Collisions for Shock Ignition
Sauppe, Joshua; Dodd, Evan; Loomis, Eric
2016-10-01
Shock ignition (SI) has been proposed as an alternative to achieving high gain in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets. A central hot spot below the ignition threshold is created by an initial compression pulse, and a second laser pulse drives a strong converging shock into the fuel. The collision between the rebounding shock from the compression pulse and the converging shock results in amplification of the converging shock and increases the hot spot pressure above the ignition threshold. We investigate shock collision in SI drive schemes for cylindrical targets with a polystyrene foam interior using radiation-hydrodynamics simulations with the RAGE code. The configuration is similar to previous targets fielded on the Omega laser. The CH interior results in a lower convergence ratio and the cylindrical geometry facilitates visualization of the shock transit using an axial X-ray backlighter, both of which are important for comparison to potential experimental measurements. One-dimensional simulations are used to determine shock timing, and the effects of low mode asymmetries in 2D computations are also quantified. LA-UR-16-24773.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Milovich, J. L., E-mail: milovich1@llnl.gov; Dewald, E. L.; Pak, A.; Michel, P.; Town, R. P. J.; Bradley, D. K.; Landen, O.; Edwards, M. J. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)
2016-03-15
Achieving ignition on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is tied to our ability to control and minimize deviations from sphericity of the capsule implosion. Low-mode asymmetries of the hot spot result from the combined effect of radiation drive asymmetries throughout the laser pulse and initial roughness on the capsule surface. In this paper, we report on simulations and experiments designed to assess, measure, and correct the drive asymmetries produced by the early-time (≈first 2 ns or “picket”) period of the laser pulse. The drive asymmetry during the picket is commonly thought to introduce distortions in the hot-spot shape at ignition time. However, a more subtle effect not previously considered is that it also leads to an asymmetry in shock velocity and timing, thereby increasing the fuel adiabat and reducing the margin for ignition. It is shown via hydrodynamic simulations that minimizing this effect requires that the early-time asymmetry be kept below 7.5% in the second Legendre mode (P{sub 2}), thus keeping the loss of performance margin below ≈10% for a layered implosion. Asymmetries during the picket of the laser pulse are measured using the instantaneous self-emission of a high-Z re-emission sphere in place of an ignition capsule in a hohlraum with large azimuthal diagnostic windows. Three dimensional simulations using the code HYDRA (to capture the effect of non-azimuthal hohlraum features) coupled to a cross-beam energy transfer model [Michel et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 056305 (2010)] are used to establish the surrogacy of the re-emit target and to assess the early-time drive symmetry. Calculations using this model exhibit the same sensitivity to variations in the relative input powers between the different cones of NIF beams as measured for the “Rev5” CH target [Haan et al., Phys Plasmas 18, 051001 (2011)] and reported by Dewald et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 235001 (2013)]. The same methodology applied to recently improved implosions
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Milovich, J. L.; Dewald, E. L.; Pak, A.; Michel, P.; Town, R. P. J.; Bradley, D. K.; Landen, O.; Edwards, M. J.
2016-01-01
Achieving ignition on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is tied to our ability to control and minimize deviations from sphericity of the capsule implosion. Low-mode asymmetries of the hot spot result from the combined effect of radiation drive asymmetries throughout the laser pulse and initial roughness on the capsule surface. In this paper, we report on simulations and experiments designed to assess, measure, and correct the drive asymmetries produced by the early-time (≈first 2 ns or “picket”) period of the laser pulse. The drive asymmetry during the picket is commonly thought to introduce distortions in the hot-spot shape at ignition time. However, a more subtle effect not previously considered is that it also leads to an asymmetry in shock velocity and timing, thereby increasing the fuel adiabat and reducing the margin for ignition. It is shown via hydrodynamic simulations that minimizing this effect requires that the early-time asymmetry be kept below 7.5% in the second Legendre mode (P_2), thus keeping the loss of performance margin below ≈10% for a layered implosion. Asymmetries during the picket of the laser pulse are measured using the instantaneous self-emission of a high-Z re-emission sphere in place of an ignition capsule in a hohlraum with large azimuthal diagnostic windows. Three dimensional simulations using the code HYDRA (to capture the effect of non-azimuthal hohlraum features) coupled to a cross-beam energy transfer model [Michel et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 056305 (2010)] are used to establish the surrogacy of the re-emit target and to assess the early-time drive symmetry. Calculations using this model exhibit the same sensitivity to variations in the relative input powers between the different cones of NIF beams as measured for the “Rev5” CH target [Haan et al., Phys Plasmas 18, 051001 (2011)] and reported by Dewald et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 235001 (2013)]. The same methodology applied to recently improved implosions using
Milovich, J. L.; Dewald, E. L.; Pak, A.; Michel, P.; Town, R. P. J.; Bradley, D. K.; Landen, O.; Edwards, M. J.
2016-03-01
Achieving ignition on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is tied to our ability to control and minimize deviations from sphericity of the capsule implosion. Low-mode asymmetries of the hot spot result from the combined effect of radiation drive asymmetries throughout the laser pulse and initial roughness on the capsule surface. In this paper, we report on simulations and experiments designed to assess, measure, and correct the drive asymmetries produced by the early-time (≈first 2 ns or "picket") period of the laser pulse. The drive asymmetry during the picket is commonly thought to introduce distortions in the hot-spot shape at ignition time. However, a more subtle effect not previously considered is that it also leads to an asymmetry in shock velocity and timing, thereby increasing the fuel adiabat and reducing the margin for ignition. It is shown via hydrodynamic simulations that minimizing this effect requires that the early-time asymmetry be kept below 7.5% in the second Legendre mode (P2), thus keeping the loss of performance margin below ≈10% for a layered implosion. Asymmetries during the picket of the laser pulse are measured using the instantaneous self-emission of a high-Z re-emission sphere in place of an ignition capsule in a hohlraum with large azimuthal diagnostic windows. Three dimensional simulations using the code HYDRA (to capture the effect of non-azimuthal hohlraum features) coupled to a cross-beam energy transfer model [Michel et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 056305 (2010)] are used to establish the surrogacy of the re-emit target and to assess the early-time drive symmetry. Calculations using this model exhibit the same sensitivity to variations in the relative input powers between the different cones of NIF beams as measured for the "Rev5" CH target [Haan et al., Phys Plasmas 18, 051001 (2011)] and reported by Dewald et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 235001 (2013)]. The same methodology applied to recently improved implosions using different
Callahan, D. A.; Hurricane, O. A.; Ralph, J. E.; Thomas, C. A.; Baker, K. L.; Benedetti, L. R.; Berzak Hopkins, L. F.; Casey, D. T.; Chapman, T.; Czajka, C. E.; Dewald, E. L.; Divol, L.; Döppner, T.; Hinkel, D. E.; Hohenberger, M.; Jarrott, L. C.; Khan, S. F.; Kritcher, A. L.; Landen, O. L.; LePape, S.; MacLaren, S. A.; Masse, L. P.; Meezan, N. B.; Pak, A. E.; Salmonson, J. D.; Woods, D. T.; Izumi, N.; Ma, T.; Mariscal, D. A.; Nagel, S. R.; Kline, J. L.; Kyrala, G. A.; Loomis, E. N.; Yi, S. A.; Zylstra, A. B.; Batha, S. H.
2018-05-01
We present a data-based model for low mode asymmetry in low gas-fill hohlraum experiments on the National Ignition Facility {NIF [Moses et al., Fusion Sci. Technol. 69, 1 (2016)]} laser. This model is based on the hypothesis that the asymmetry in these low fill hohlraums is dominated by the hydrodynamics of the expanding, low density, high-Z (gold or uranium) "bubble," which occurs where the intense outer cone laser beams hit the high-Z hohlraum wall. We developed a simple model which states that the implosion symmetry becomes more oblate as the high-Z bubble size becomes large compared to the hohlraum radius or the capsule size becomes large compared to the hohlraum radius. This simple model captures the trends that we see in data that span much of the parameter space of interest for NIF ignition experiments. We are now using this model as a constraint on new designs for experiments on the NIF.
Polar-Drive Experiments at the National Ignition Facility
Hohenberger, M.
2014-10-01
To support direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in its indirect-drive beam configuration, the polar-drive (PD) concept has been proposed. It requires direct-drive-specific beam smoothing, phase plates, and repointing the NIF beams toward the equator to ensure symmetric target irradiation. First experiments testing the performance of ignition-relevant PD implosions at the NIF have been performed. The goal of these early experiments was to develop a stable, warm implosion platform to investigate laser deposition and laser-plasma instabilities at ignition-relevant plasma conditions, and to develop and validate ignition-relevant models of laser deposition and heat conduction. These experiments utilize the NIF in its current configuration, including beam geometry, phase plates, and beam smoothing. Warm, 2.2-mm-diam plastic shells were imploded with total drive energies ranging from ~ 350 to 750 kJ with peak powers of 60 to 180 TW and peak on-target intensities from 4 ×1014 to 1 . 2 ×1015 W/cm2. Results from these initial experiments are presented, including the level of hot-electron preheat, and implosion symmetry and shell trajectory inferred via self-emission imaging and backlighting. Experiments are simulated with the 2-D hydrodynamics code DRACO including a full 3-D ray trace to model oblique beams, and a model for cross-beam energy transfer (CBET). These simulations indicate that CBET affects the shell symmetry and leads to a loss of energy imparted onto the shell, consistent with the experimental data. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944.
Near Field Intensity Trends of Main Laser Alignment Images in the National Ignition Facility (NIF)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Leach, R R; Beltsar, I; Burkhart, S; Lowe-Webb, R; Kamm, V M; Salmon, T; Wilhelmsen, K
2015-01-22
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) utilizes 192 high-energy laser beams focused with enough power and precision on a hydrogen-filled spherical, cryogenic target to potentially initiate a fusion reaction. NIF has been operational for six years; during that time, thousands of successful laser firings or shots have been executed. Critical instrument measurements and camera images are carefully recorded for each shot. The result is a massive and complex database or ‘big data’ archive that can be used to investigate the state of the laser system at any point in its history or to locate and track trends in the laser operation over time. In this study, the optical light throughput for more than 1600 NIF shots for each of the 192 main laser beams and 48 quads was measured over a three year period from January 2009 to October 2012. The purpose was to verify that the variation in the transmission of light through the optics over time performed within design expectations during this time period. Differences between average or integrated intensity from images recorded by the input sensor package (ISP) and by the output sensor package (OSP) in the NIF beam-line were examined. A metric is described for quantifying changes in the integrated intensity measurements and was used to view potential trends. Results are presented for the NIF input and output sensor package trends and changes over the three year time-frame.
Filter-fluorescer diagnostic system for the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
McDonald, J.W.; Kauffman, R.L.; Celeste, J.R.; Rhodes, M.A.; Lee, F.D.; Suter, L.J.; Lee, A.P.; Foster, J.M.; Slark, G.
2004-01-01
An early filter-fluorescer diagnostic system is being fielded at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to measure the amount of hard x rays (20< hν<150 keV) generated in laser fusion experiments. From these measurements we hope to quantify the number of hot electrons produced in laser fusion experiments. The measurement of hot electron production is important for ignition experiments because these electrons can preheat the fuel capsule. Hot electrons can also be employed in experimentation by preheating hydrodynamic packages or by driving plasmas out of equilibrium. The experimental apparatus, data collection, analysis and calibration issues are discussed. Expected data signal levels are predicted and discussed
National Ignition Facility design focuses on optics
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hogan, W.J.; Atherton, L.J.; Paisner, J.A.
1996-01-01
Sometime in the year 2002, scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) will focus 192 separate high-power ultraviolet laser beams onto a tiny capsule of deuterium and tritium, heating and compressing the material until it ignites and burns with a burst of fusion energy. The mission of NIF, which will contain the largest laser in the world, is to obtain fusion ignition and gain and to use inertial confinement fusion capabilities in nuclear weapons science experiments. The physics data provided by NIF experiments will help scientists ensure nuclear weapons reliability without the need for actual weapons tests; basic sciences such as astrophysics will also benefit. The facility faces stringent weapons-physics user requirements demanding peak pulse powers greater than 750 TW at 0.35 microm (only 500 TW is required for target ignition), pulse durations of 0.1 to 20 ns, beam steering on the order of several degrees, and target isolation from residual 1- and 0.5-microm radiation. Additional requirements include 50% fractional encircled beam energy in a 100-microm-diameter spot, with 95% encircled in a 200-microm spot. The weapons-effects community requires 1- and 0.5-microm light on target, beam steering to widely spaced targets, a target chamber accommodating oversized objects, well-shielded diagnostic areas, and elimination of stray light in the target chamber. The beamline design, amplifier configuration and requirements for optics are discussed here
Diagnosing ignition with DT reaction history
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wilson, D. C.; Bradley, P. A.; Herrmann, H. W.; Cerjan, C. J.; Salmonson, J. D.; Spears, B. K.; Hatchet, S. P. II; Glebov, V. Yu.
2008-01-01
A full range DT reaction history of an ignition capsule, from 10 9 to 10 20 neutrons/ns, offers the opportunity to diagnose fuel conditions hundreds of picoseconds before and during burn. The burn history begins with a sharp rise when the first shock reaches the center of the capsule. The level of this jump reflects the combined shock strength and the adiabat of DT fuel. Changes to the four laser pulses driving the capsule implosion which are large enough to degrade the yield make measurable changes to the reaction history. Low mode asymmetries grow during convergence but change the reaction history during the final ∼100 ps. High mode asymmetry or turbulence mixing affects only the reaction history within ∼50 ps of peak burn rate. A capsule with a tritium fuel layer containing a small amount of deuterium (∼1%) creates a reaction history similar to the ignition capsule, but without the final ignition burn. A combination of gas Cerenkov detectors and the neutron temporal diagnostic could be capable of diagnosing the full history of ignition and tritium rich capsules.
Analytical criterion for shock ignition of fusion reaction in hot spot
Ribeyre X.; Tikhonchuk V.T.; Breil J.; Lafon M.; Vallet A.; Bel E. Le
2013-01-01
Shock ignition of DT capsules involves two major steps. First, the fuel is assembled by means of a low velocity conventional implosion. At stagnation, the central core has a temperature lower than the one needed for ignition. Then a second, strong spherical converging shock, launched from a high intensity laser spike, arrives to the core. This shock crosses the core, rebounds at the target center and increases the central pressure to the ignition conditions. In this work we consider this latt...
Multi-point laser ignition device
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
McIntyre, Dustin L.; Woodruff, Steven D.
2017-01-17
A multi-point laser device comprising a plurality of optical pumping sources. Each optical pumping source is configured to create pumping excitation energy along a corresponding optical path directed through a high-reflectivity mirror and into substantially different locations within the laser media thereby producing atomic optical emissions at substantially different locations within the laser media and directed along a corresponding optical path of the optical pumping source. An output coupler and one or more output lenses are configured to produce a plurality of lasing events at substantially different times, locations or a combination thereof from the multiple atomic optical emissions produced at substantially different locations within the laser media. The laser media is a single continuous media, preferably grown on a single substrate.
Preparing for polar-drive ignition on the National Ignition Facility
McKenty P.W.; Collins T.J.B.; Marozas J.A.; Kessler T.J.; Zuegel J.D.; Shoup M.J.; Craxton R.S.; Marshall F.J.; Shvydky A.; Skupsky S.; Goncharov V.N.; Radha P.B.; Epstein R.; Sangster T.C.; Meyerhofer D.D.
2013-01-01
The implementation of polar drive (PD) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) will enable the execution of direct-drive implosions while the facility is configured for x-ray drive. The Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), in collaboration with LLNL, LANL and GA, is implementing PD on the NIF. LLE has designed and participates in the use of PD implosions for diagnostic commissioning on the NIF. LLE has an active experimental campaign to develop PD in both warm and cryogenic target experimen...
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Anon.
1978-01-01
Sandia's HF-laser program for FY 77 and FY 78 was revised in June 1977 in order to meet several new program milestones. Research progress is reported on: objective of HF oscillator-amplifier studies using H 2 -F 2 gas mixtures; characteristics of large-volume oscillator using H 2 -F 2 mixtures; characteristics of large-volume amplifier using H 2 -F 2 mixtures; experimental results of the oscillator-amplifier study; objective of high-quality discharge-initiated SF 6 -HI oscillator-preamplifier system; pin-discharge-initiated oscillator and first beam expander; fast-discharge-initiated preamplifiers; reflecting beam expanders for oscillator-preamplifier system; beam quality of discharge-initiated oscillator-preamplifier system; short pulse option for discharge initiated SF 6 -HI system; H 2 -F 2 electron-beam-initiated oscillator-preamplifier system; chamber for HF-laser focusing experiments; computer study of parasitic oscillations in HF amplifiers and oscillators; kinetics upgrade of HF-laser code; repetitivey ignited flowing H 2 -F 2 -O 2 mixtures; spontaneous detonations in multiatmosphere H 2 -F 2 -O 2 mixtures; high-pressure H 2 -F 2 laser studies; and time sequenced energy extraction on the high xenon laser
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Richards, R.K.; Vander Sluis, K.L.; Hutchinson, D.P.
1987-08-01
Fusion-product alpha particles will dominate the behavior of the next generation of ignited D-T fusion reactors. Advanced diagnostics will be required to characterize the energy deposition of these fast alpha particles in the magnetically confined plasma. For small-angle coherent Thomson scattering of a CO 2 laser beam from such a plasma, a resonance in the scattered power occurs near 90 0 with respect to the magnetic field direction. This spatial concentration permits a simplified detection of the scattered laser power from the plasma using a heterodyne system. The signal produced by the presence of fusion-product alpha particles in an ignited plasma is calculated to be well above the noise level, which results from statistical variations of the background signal produced by scattering from free electrons. 7 refs
Fan, Suzhen; Liu, Sisi; Wang, Xiao-Qiao; Wang, Cai-Feng; Chen, Su
2016-06-01
Given the increasing heavy metal pollution issue, fast preparation of polymeric hydrogels with excellent adsorption property toward heavy metal ions is very attractive. In this work, a series of poly( N-vinylimidazole-co-acrylamide) (poly(VI-co-AM)) hydrogels were synthesized via laser-ignited frontal polymerization (LIFP) for the first time. The dependence of frontal velocity and temperature on two factors monomer ratios and initiator concentrations was systematically investigated. Poly(VI-co-AM) hydrogels with any self-supporting shapes can be synthesized by a one-step LIFP in seconds through the application of 3D templates. These shape-persistent hydrogels are pH-responsive and exhibit excellent adsorption/desorption characteristics toward Mn(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Co(II) ions, and the adsorption conformed to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The reusability of the hydrogels toward mental ions adsorption was further researched, which suggested that the hydrogels can be reused without serious decrease in adsorption capacity. This work might open a promising strategy to facilely prepare shape-controllable hydrogels and expand the application of LIFP.
Ultra-High-Contrast Laser Acceleration of Relativistic Electrons in Solid Targets
Higginson, Drew Pitney
The cone-guided fast ignition approach to Inertial Confinement Fusion requires laser-accelerated relativistic electrons to deposit kilojoules of energy within an imploded fuel core to initiate fusion burn. One obstacle to coupling electron energy into the core is the ablation of material, known as preplasma, by laser energy proceeding nanoseconds prior to the main pulse. This causes the laser-absorption surface to be pushed back hundreds of microns from the initial target surface; thus increasing the distance that electrons must travel to reach the imploded core. Previous experiments have shown an order of magnitude decrease in coupling into surrogate targets when intentionally increasing the amount of preplasma. Additionally, for electrons to deposit energy within the core, they should have kinetic energies on the order of a few MeV, as less energetic electrons will be stopped prior to the core and more energetic electrons will pass through the core without depositing much energy. Thus a quantitative understanding of the electron energy spectrum and how it responds to varied laser parameters is paramount for fast ignition. For the first time, this dissertation quantitatively investigates the acceleration of electrons using an ultra-high-contrast laser. Ultra-high-contrast lasers reduce the laser energy that reaches the target prior to the main pulse; drastically reducing the amount of preplasma. Experiments were performed in a cone-wire geometry relevant to fast ignition. These experiments irradiated the inner-tip of a Au cone with the laser and observed electrons that passed through a Cu wire attached to the outer-tip of the cone. The total emission of Kalpha x-rays is used as a diagnostic to infer the electron energy coupled into the wire. Imaging the x-ray emission allowed an effective path-length of electrons within the wire to be determined, which constrained the electron energy spectrum. Experiments were carried out on the ultra-high-contrast Trident laser
First hohlraum drive studies on the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Dewald, E.L.; Landen, O.L.; Suter, L.J.; Schein, J.; Holder, J.; Campbell, K.; Glenzer, S.H.; McDonald, J.W.; Niemann, C.; Mackinnon, A.J.; Schneider, M.S.; Haynam, C.; Hinkel, D.; Hammel, B.A.
2006-01-01
The first hohlraum experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [G. H. Miller, E. I. Moses, and C. R. Wuest, Nucl. Fusion 44, 228 (2004)] using the first four laser beams have activated the indirect-drive experimental capabilities and tested radiation temperature limits imposed by hohlraum plasma filling. Vacuum hohlraums have been irradiated with laser powers up to 9 TW, 1 to 9 ns long square pulses and energies of up to 17 kJ to study the hohlraum radiation temperature scaling with the laser power and hohlraum size, and to make contact with hohlraum experiments performed previously at other laser facilities. Furthermore, for a variety of hohlraum sizes and pulse lengths, the measured x-ray flux shows signatures of plasma filling that coincide with hard x-ray emission from plasma streaming out of the hohlraum. These observations agree with hydrodynamic simulations and with analytical modeling that includes hydrodynamic and coronal radiative losses. The modeling predicts radiation temperature limits on full NIF (1.8 MJ) that are significantly greater than required for ignition hohlraums
Seeding magnetic fields for laser-driven flux compression in high-energy-density plasmas.
Gotchev, O V; Knauer, J P; Chang, P Y; Jang, N W; Shoup, M J; Meyerhofer, D D; Betti, R
2009-04-01
A compact, self-contained magnetic-seed-field generator (5 to 16 T) is the enabling technology for a novel laser-driven flux-compression scheme in laser-driven targets. A magnetized target is directly irradiated by a kilojoule or megajoule laser to compress the preseeded magnetic field to thousands of teslas. A fast (300 ns), 80 kA current pulse delivered by a portable pulsed-power system is discharged into a low-mass coil that surrounds the laser target. A >15 T target field has been demonstrated using a hot spot of a compressed target. This can lead to the ignition of massive shells imploded with low velocity-a way of reaching higher gains than is possible with conventional ICF.
Measurements of gas filled halfraum energetics at the national ignition facility using a single quad
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Kline, J.L.; Fernandez, J.C.; Goldman, S.R.; Gautier, D.C.; Hegelich, B.M.; Montgomery, D.S.; Lanier, N.E.; Rose, H.A.; Workman, J.B. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Braun, D.; Landen, O.; Niemann, C.; Campbell, K.; Celeste, J.; Dewald, E.; Glenzer, S.; Hinkel, D.; Holder, J.; Kalantar, D.; Kamperschroer, J.; Kimbrough, J.; Kirkwood, R.; Lee, F.D.; MacGowan, B.; MacKinnon, A.; McDonald, J.; Schein, J.; Schneider, M.; Suter, L.; Young, B. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
2006-06-15
Gas filled halfraum experiments were conducted at the National Ignition Facility which provided an excellent test of the tools needed to understand halfraum energetics in an ignition relevant regime. The experiments used a highly shaped laser pulse and measured large levels of backscattered laser energy. These two components challenge the ability of radiation hydrodynamic simulations to model the experiments. The results show good agreement between experimental measurements and simulations. (authors)
Measurements of gas filled halfraum energetics at the national ignition facility using a single quad
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kline, J.L.; Fernandez, J.C.; Goldman, S.R.; Gautier, D.C.; Hegelich, B.M.; Montgomery, D.S.; Lanier, N.E.; Rose, H.A.; Workman, J.B.; Braun, D.; Landen, O.; Niemann, C.; Campbell, K.; Celeste, J.; Dewald, E.; Glenzer, S.; Hinkel, D.; Holder, J.; Kalantar, D.; Kamperschroer, J.; Kimbrough, J.; Kirkwood, R.; Lee, F.D.; MacGowan, B.; MacKinnon, A.; McDonald, J.; Schein, J.; Schneider, M.; Suter, L.; Young, B.
2006-01-01
Gas filled halfraum experiments were conducted at the National Ignition Facility which provided an excellent test of the tools needed to understand halfraum energetics in an ignition relevant regime. The experiments used a highly shaped laser pulse and measured large levels of backscattered laser energy. These two components challenge the ability of radiation hydrodynamic simulations to model the experiments. The results show good agreement between experimental measurements and simulations. (authors)
Fast-electron self-collimation in a plasma density gradient
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yang, X. H.; Borghesi, M.; Robinson, A. P. L.
2012-01-01
A theoretical and numerical study of fast electron transport in solid and compressed fast ignition relevant targets is presented. The principal aim of the study is to assess how localized increases in the target density (e.g., by engineering of the density profile) can enhance magnetic field generation and thus pinching of the fast electron beam through reducing the rate of temperature rise. The extent to which this might benefit fast ignition is discussed.
Fast ion generation by a picosecond high-power laser
Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Badziak, J.; Parys, P.; Wolowski, J.; Hora, H.; Krása, Josef; Láska, Leoš; Rohlena, Karel
2005-01-01
Roč. 35, č. 1 (2005), s. 5-22 ISSN 0078-5466 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) ME 238 Grant - others:International Atomic Energy in Vienna(XE) 11535/RO; State Commitee for Scientific Research (KBN)(PL) 1 PO3B 082 19 and 1 PO3B 043 26 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100523 Keywords : fast ion * plasma * picosecond laser Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers Impact factor: 0.459, year: 2005
Nova Upgrade program: ignition and beyond
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Storm, E.; Campbell, E.M.; Hogan, W.J.; Lindl, J.D.
1993-01-01
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Program is addressing the critical physics and technology issues directed toward demonstrating and exploiting ignition and propagating burn to high gain with ICF targets for both defense and civilian applications. Nova is the primary U.S. facility employed in the study of the X-ray-driven (indirect drive) approach to ICF. Nova's principal objective is to demonstrate that laser-driven hohlraums can achieve the conditions of driver-target coupling efficiency, driver irradiation symmetry, driver pulseshaping, target preheat, and hydrodynamic stability required by hot-spot ignition and fuel compression to realize a fusion gain. (author)
Loop-mirror laser neural network using a fast liquid-crystal display
Mos, E.C.; Schleipen, J.J.H.B.; Waardt, de H.; Khoe, G.D.
1999-01-01
In our laser neural network (LNN) all-optical threshold action is obtained by application of controlled optical feedback to a laser diode. Here an extended experimental LNN is presented with as many as 32 neurons and 12 inputs. In the setup we use a fast liquid-crystal display to implement an
Hohlraum energetics scaling to 520 TW on the National Ignition Facilitya)
Kline, J. L.; Callahan, D. A.; Glenzer, S. H.; Meezan, N. B.; Moody, J. D.; Hinkel, D. E.; Jones, O. S.; MacKinnon, A. J.; Bennedetti, R.; Berger, R. L.; Bradley, D.; Dewald, E. L.; Bass, I.; Bennett, C.; Bowers, M.; Brunton, G.; Bude, J.; Burkhart, S.; Condor, A.; Di Nicola, J. M.; Di Nicola, P.; Dixit, S. N.; Doeppner, T.; Dzenitis, E. G.; Erbert, G.; Folta, J.; Grim, G.; Glenn, S.; Hamza, A.; Haan, S. W.; Heebner, J.; Henesian, M.; Hermann, M.; Hicks, D. G.; Hsing, W. W.; Izumi, N.; Jancaitis, K.; Jones, O. S.; Kalantar, D.; Khan, S. F.; Kirkwood, R.; Kyrala, G. A.; LaFortune, K.; Landen, O. L.; Lagin, L.; Larson, D.; Pape, S. Le; Ma, T.; MacPhee, A. G.; Michel, P. A.; Miller, P.; Montincelli, M.; Moore, A. S.; Nikroo, A.; Nostrand, M.; Olson, R. E.; Pak, A.; Park, H. S.; Patel, J. P.; Pelz, L.; Ralph, J.; Regan, S. P.; Robey, H. F.; Rosen, M. D.; Ross, J. S.; Schneider, M. B.; Shaw, M.; Smalyuk, V. A.; Strozzi, D. J.; Suratwala, T.; Suter, L. J.; Tommasini, R.; Town, R. P. J.; Van Wonterghem, B.; Wegner, P.; Widmann, K.; Widmayer, C.; Wilkens, H.; Williams, E. A.; Edwards, M. J.; Remington, B. A.; MacGowan, B. J.; Kilkenny, J. D.; Lindl, J. D.; Atherton, L. J.; Batha, S. H.; Moses, E.
2013-05-01
Indirect drive experiments have now been carried out with laser powers and energies up to 520 TW and 1.9 MJ. These experiments show that the energy coupling to the target is nearly constant at 84% ± 3% over a wide range of laser parameters from 350 to 520 TW and 1.2 to 1.9 MJ. Experiments at 520 TW with depleted uranium hohlraums achieve radiation temperatures of ˜330 ± 4 eV, enough to drive capsules 20 μm thicker than the ignition point design to velocities near the ignition goal of 370 km/s. A series of three symcap implosion experiments with nearly identical target, laser, and diagnostics configurations show the symmetry and drive are reproducible at the level of ±8.5% absolute and ±2% relative, respectively.
Analytical criterion for shock ignition of fusion reaction in hot spot
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ribeyre, X.; Tikhonchuk, V. T.; Breil, J.; Lafon, M.; Vallet, A.; Bel, E. L.
2013-01-01
Shock ignition of DT capsules involves two major steps. First, the fuel is assembled by means of a low velocity conventional implosion. At stagnation, the central core has a temperature lower than the one needed for ignition. Then a second, strong spherical converging shock, launched from a high intensity laser spike, arrives to the core. This shock crosses the core, rebounds at the target center and increases the central pressure to the ignition conditions. In this work we consider this latter phase by using the Guderley self-similar solution for converging flows. Our model accounts for the fusion reaction energy deposition, thermal and radiation losses thus describing the basic physics of hot spot ignition. The ignition criterion derived from the analytical model is successfully compared with full scale hydrodynamic simulations. (authors)
Hot-electron surface retention in intense short-pulse laser-matter interactions.
Mason, R J; Dodd, E S; Albright, B J
2005-07-01
Implicit hybrid plasma simulations predict that a significant fraction of the energy deposited into hot electrons can be retained near the surface of targets with steep density gradients illuminated by intense short-pulse lasers. This retention derives from the lateral transport of heated electrons randomly emitted in the presence of spontaneous magnetic fields arising near the laser spot, from geometric effects associated with a small hot-electron source, and from E fields arising in reaction to the ponderomotive force. Below the laser spot hot electrons are axially focused into a target by the B fields, and can filament in moderate Z targets by resistive Weibel-like instability, if the effective background electron temperature remains sufficiently low. Carefully engineered use of such retention in conjunction with ponderomotive density profile steepening could result in a reduced hot-electron range that aids fast ignition. Alternatively, such retention may disturb a deeper deposition needed for efficient radiography and backside fast ion generation.
Optimization of the NIF ignition point design hohlraum
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Callahan, D A; Hinkel, D E; Berger, R L; Divol, L; Dixit, S N; Edwards, M J; Haan, S W; Jones, O S; Lindl, J D; Meezan, N B; Michel, P A; Pollaine, S M; Suter, L J; Town, R P J; Bradley, P A
2008-01-01
In preparation for the start of NIF ignition experiments, we have designed a porfolio of targets that span the temperature range that is consistent with initial NIF operations: 300 eV, 285 eV, and 270 eV. Because these targets are quite complicated, we have developed a plan for choosing the optimum hohlraum for the first ignition attempt that is based on this portfolio of designs coupled with early NIF experiements using 96 beams. These early experiments will measure the laser plasma instabilities of the candidate designs and will demonstrate our ability to tune symmetry in these designs. These experimental results, coupled with the theory and simulations that went into the designs, will allow us to choose the optimal hohlraum for the first NIF ignition attempt
Optimization of the NIF ignition point design hohlraum
Callahan, D. A.; Hinkel, D. E.; Berger, R. L.; Divol, L.; Dixit, S. N.; Edwards, M. J.; Haan, S. W.; Jones, O. S.; Lindl, J. D.; Meezan, N. B.; Michel, P. A.; Pollaine, S. M.; Suter, L. J.; Town, R. P. J.; Bradley, P. A.
2008-05-01
In preparation for the start of NIF ignition experiments, we have designed a porfolio of targets that span the temperature range that is consistent with initial NIF operations: 300 eV, 285 eV, and 270 eV. Because these targets are quite complicated, we have developed a plan for choosing the optimum hohlraum for the first ignition attempt that is based on this portfolio of designs coupled with early NIF experiements using 96 beams. These early experiments will measure the laser plasma instabilities of the candidate designs and will demonstrate our ability to tune symmetry in these designs. These experimental results, coupled with the theory and simulations that went into the designs, will allow us to choose the optimal hohlraum for the first NIF ignition attempt.
Strong field interaction of laser radiation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pukhov, Alexander
2003-01-01
The Review covers recent progress in laser-matter interaction at intensities above 10 18 W cm -2 . At these intensities electrons swing in the laser pulse with relativistic energies. The laser electric field is already much stronger than the atomic fields, and any material is instantaneously ionized, creating plasma. The physics of relativistic laser-plasma is highly non-linear and kinetic. The best numerical tools applicable here are particle-in-cell (PIC) codes, which provide the most fundamental plasma model as an ensemble of charged particles. The three-dimensional (3D) PIC code Virtual Laser-Plasma Laboratory runs on a massively parallel computer tracking trajectories of up to 10 9 particles simultaneously. This allows one to simulate real laser-plasma experiments for the first time. When the relativistically intense laser pulses propagate through plasma, a bunch of new physical effects appears. The laser pulses are subject to relativistic self-channelling and filamentation. The gigabar ponderomotive pressure of the laser pulse drives strong currents of plasma electrons in the laser propagation direction; these currents reach the Alfven limit and generate 100 MG quasistatic magnetic fields. These magnetic fields, in turn, lead to the mutual filament attraction and super-channel formation. The electrons in the channels are accelerated up to gigaelectronvolt energies and the ions gain multi-MeV energies. We discuss different mechanisms of particle acceleration and compare numerical simulations with experimental data. One of the very important applications of the relativistically strong laser beams is the fast ignition (FI) concept for the inertial fusion energy (IFE). Petawatt-class lasers may provide enough energy to isochorically ignite a pre-compressed target consisting of thermonuclear fuel. The FI approach would ease dramatically the constraints on the implosion symmetry and improve the energy gain. However, there is a set of problems to solve before the FI
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Peterson, J. L.; Clark, D. S.; Suter, L. J. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States); Masse, L. P. [CEA, DAM, DIF, 91297 Arpajon (France)
2014-09-15
Defects on inertial confinement fusion capsule surfaces can seed hydrodynamic instability growth and adversely affect capsule performance. The dynamics of shocks launched during the early period of x-ray driven National Ignition Facility (NIF) implosions determine whether perturbations will grow inward or outward at peak implosion velocity and final compression. In particular, the strength of the first shock, launched at the beginning of the laser pulse, plays an important role in determining Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) oscillations on the ablation front. These surface oscillations can couple to the capsule interior through subsequent shocks before experiencing Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) growth. We compare radiation hydrodynamic simulations of NIF implosions to analytic theories of the ablative RM and RT instabilities to illustrate how early time laser strength can alter peak velocity growth. We develop a model that couples the RM and RT implosion phases and captures key features of full simulations. We also show how three key parameters can control the modal demarcation between outward and inward growth.
Lateral propagation of fast electrons at the laser-irradiated target surfaces
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Li, Y T; Lin, X X; Liu, B C; Du, F; Wang, S J; Li, C; Zhou, M L; Zhang, L; Liu, X; Wang, J; Liu, X L; Chen, L M; Wang, Z H; Ma, J L; Wei, Z Y; Zhang, J; Liu, F; Liu, F
2010-01-01
Lateral propagation of fast electrons at the target surfaces irradiated by femtosecond intense laser pulses is measured by k α x-ray imaging technique when a preplasma is presented. An annular halo surrounding a bright spot is observed in the x-ray images when the scale length of the electron density is large. For an incidence angle of 70 0 the x-ray images show a non-symmetrical distribution peaked to the laser propagation direction. The x-ray photons in the halo are mainly excited by the fast electrons that flow in the preplasma when their paths intersect the high density regions near the target surface.
Advantage of Fast Fourier Interpolation for laser modeling
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Epatko, I.V.; Serov, R.V.
2006-01-01
The abilities of a new algorithm: the 2-dimensional Fast Fourier Interpolation (FFI) with magnification factor (zoom) 2 n whose purpose is to improve the spatial resolution when necessary, are analyzed in details. FFI procedure is useful when diaphragm/aperture size is less than half of the current simulation scale. The computation noise due to FFI procedure is less than 10 -6 . The additional time for FFI is approximately equal to one Fast Fourier Transform execution time. For some applications using FFI procedure, the execution time decreases by a 10 4 factor compared with other laser simulation codes. (authors)
Laser Acceleration of Quasi-Monoenergetic Protons via Radiation Pressure Driven Thin Foil
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Liu, Chuan S.; Shao Xi; Liu, T. C.; Dudnikova, Galina; Sagdeev, Roald Z.; Eliasson, Bengt
2011-01-01
We present a theoretical and simulation study of laser acceleration of quasi-monoenergetic protons in a thin foil irradiated by high intensity laser light. The underlying physics of radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) is discussed, including the importance of optimal thickness and circularly polarized light for efficient acceleration of ions to quasi-monoenergetic beams. Preliminary two-dimensional simulation studies show that certain parameter regimes allow for stabilization of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability and possibility of acceleration of monoenergetic ions to an excess of 200 MeV, making them suitable for important applications such as medical cancer therapy and fast ignition.
National Ignition Facility quality assurance plan for laser materials and optical technology
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Wolfe, C.R.
1996-05-01
Quality achievement is the responsibility of the line organizations of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Project. This subtier Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) applies to activities of the Laser Materials & Optical Technology (LM&OT) organization and its subcontractors. It responds to the NIF Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP, L-15958-2, NIF-95-499) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5700.6C. This Plan is organized according to 10 Quality Assurance (QA) criteria and subelements of a management system as outlined in the NIF QAPP. This Plan describes how those QA requirements are met. This Plan is authorized by the Associate Project Leader for the LM&OT organization, who has assigned responsibility to the Optics QA engineer to maintain this plan, with the assistance of the NIF QA organization. This Plan governs quality-affecting activities associated with: design; procurement; fabrication; testing and acceptance; handling and storage; and installation of NIF Project optical components into mounts and subassemblies.
National Ignition Facility quality assurance plan for laser materials and optical technology
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wolfe, C.R.
1996-05-01
Quality achievement is the responsibility of the line organizations of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Project. This subtier Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) applies to activities of the Laser Materials ampersand Optical Technology (LM ampersand OT) organization and its subcontractors. It responds to the NIF Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP, L-15958-2, NIF-95-499) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5700.6C. This Plan is organized according to 10 Quality Assurance (QA) criteria and subelements of a management system as outlined in the NIF QAPP. This Plan describes how those QA requirements are met. This Plan is authorized by the Associate Project Leader for the LM ampersand OT organization, who has assigned responsibility to the Optics QA engineer to maintain this plan, with the assistance of the NIF QA organization. This Plan governs quality-affecting activities associated with: design; procurement; fabrication; testing and acceptance; handling and storage; and installation of NIF Project optical components into mounts and subassemblies
A 1-D Study of the Ignition Space for Magnetic Indirect (X-ray) Drive Targets
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Cobble, James Allen [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Sinars, Daniel Brian [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
2016-06-02
The ICF program today is investigating three approaches to achieving multi-MJ fusion yields and ignition: (1) laser indirect (x-ray) drive on the National Ignition Facility (NIF), (2) laser direct drive (primarily on the Omega laser facility at the University of Rochester), and (3) magnetic direct drive on the Z pulsed power facility. In this white paper we briefly consider a fourth approach, magnetic indirect drive, in which pulsedpower- driven x-ray sources are used in place of laser driven sources. We first look at some of the x-ray sources studied on Z prior to 2007 before the pulsed power ICF program shifted to magnetic direct drive. We then show results from a series of 1D Helios calculations of double-shell capsules that suggest that these sources, scaled to higher temperatures, could be a promising path to achieving multi-MJ fusion yields and ignition. We advocate here that more detailed design calculations with widely accepted 2D/3D ICF codes should be conducted for a better assessment of the prospects.
Fast ions and hot electrons in the laser--plasma interaction
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gitomer, S.J.; Jones, R.D.; Begay, F.; Ehler, A.W.; Kephart, J.F.; Kristal, R.
1986-01-01
Data on the emission of energetic ions produced in laser--matter interactions have been analyzed for a wide variety of laser wavelengths, energies, and pulse lengths. Strong correlation has been found between the bulk energy per AMU for fast ions measured by charge cups and the x-ray-determined hot electron temperature. Five theoretical models have been used to explain this correlation. The models include (1) a steady-state spherically symmetric fluid model with classical electron heat conduction, (2) a steady-state spherically symmetric fluid model with flux limited electron heat conduction, (3) a simple analytic model of an isothermal rarefaction followed by a free expansion, (4) the lasneX hydrodynamics code [Comments Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 2, 85 (1975)], calculations employing a spherical expansion and simple initial conditions, and (5) the lasneX code with its full array of absorption, transport, and emission physics. The results obtained with these models are in good agreement with the experiments and indicate that the detailed shape of the correlation curve between mean fast ion energy and hot electron temperature is due to target surface impurities at the higher temperatures (higher laser intensities) and to the expansion of bulk target material at the lower temperatures (lower laser intensities)
Chromatin damage induced by fast neutrons or UV laser radiation
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Radu, L.; Constantinescu, B.; Gazdaru, D.; Mihailescu, I
2002-07-01
Chromatin samples from livers of Wistar rats were subjected to fast neutron irradiation in doses of 10-100 Gy or to a 248 nm excimer laser radiation, in doses of 0.5-3 MJ.m{sup -2}. The action of the radiation on chromatin was monitored by chromatin intrinsic fluorescence and fluorescence lifetimes (of bound ethidium bromide to chromatin) and by analysing fluorescence resonance energy transfer between dansyl chloride and acridine orange coupled to chromatin. For the mentioned doses of UV excimer laser radiation, the action on chromatin was more intense than in the case of fast neutrons. The same types of damage are produced by the two radiations: acidic and basic destruction of chromatin protein structure, DNA strand breaking and the increase of the distance between DNA and proteins in chromatin. (author)
Chromatin damage induced by fast neutrons or UV laser radiation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Radu, L.; Constantinescu, B.; Gazdaru, D.; Mihailescu, I.
2002-01-01
Chromatin samples from livers of Wistar rats were subjected to fast neutron irradiation in doses of 10-100 Gy or to a 248 nm excimer laser radiation, in doses of 0.5-3 MJ.m -2 . The action of the radiation on chromatin was monitored by chromatin intrinsic fluorescence and fluorescence lifetimes (of bound ethidium bromide to chromatin) and by analysing fluorescence resonance energy transfer between dansyl chloride and acridine orange coupled to chromatin. For the mentioned doses of UV excimer laser radiation, the action on chromatin was more intense than in the case of fast neutrons. The same types of damage are produced by the two radiations: acidic and basic destruction of chromatin protein structure, DNA strand breaking and the increase of the distance between DNA and proteins in chromatin. (author)
Propagation of Gaussian laser beam in cold plasma of Drude model
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wang Ying; Yuan Chengxun; Zhou Zhongxiang; Li Lei; Du Yanwei
2011-01-01
The propagation characters of Gaussian laser beam in plasmas of Drude model have been investigated by complex eikonal function assumption. The dielectric constant of Drude model is representative and applicable in describing the cold unmagnetized plasmas. The dynamics of ponderomotive nonlinearity, spatial diffraction, and collision attenuation is considered. The derived coupling equations determine the variations of laser beam and irradiation attenuation. The modified laser beam-width parameter F, the dimensionless axis irradiation intensity I, and the spatial electron density distribution n/n 0 have been studied in connection with collision frequency, initial laser intensity and beam-width, and electron temperature of plasma. The variations of laser beam and plasma density due to different selections of parameters are reasonably explained, and results indicate the feasible modification of the propagating characters of laser beam in plasmas, which possesses significance to fast ignition, extended propagation, and other applications.
Ignition condition and gain prediction for perturbed inertial confinement fusion targets
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kishony, Roy; Shvarts, Dov
2001-01-01
The effect of perturbations on hot spot ignition is studied using full two-dimensional (2D) numerical simulations of the National Ignition Facility [J. D. Lindl, Phys. Plasmas 2, 3933 (1995)] direct drive Laboratory for Laser Energetics target design and newly derived 2D self-similar solutions for a perturbed burn wave propagation. It is shown that the required implosion velocity needed for ignition increases with the perturbation mode number and final amplitude, reaching an asymptotic value for high enough perturbation mode numbers, when the entire mixing zone no longer contributes to the ignition of the hot spot. Using the new self-similar solutions, ignition conditions for various perturbation mode numbers and amplitudes are obtained. These ignition conditions, which correspond to areal densities higher than needed for ignition in the symmetric case, are translated to a required increase in the implosion velocity needed for ignition, using the 1D Levendahl-Lindl scaling, in good agreement with the full 2D numerical simulation results. Finally, using the above results, a model for predicting the gain of a perturbed targets as a function of the perturbation spectra (single-mode and multi-mode) is presented, in good agreement with full numerical simulations
Spatial determination of magnetic avalanche ignition points
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jaafar, Reem; McHugh, S.; Suzuki, Yoko; Sarachik, M.P.; Myasoedov, Y.; Zeldov, E.; Shtrikman, H.; Bagai, R.; Christou, G.
2008-01-01
Using time-resolved measurements of local magnetization in the molecular magnet Mn 12 -ac, we report studies of magnetic avalanches (fast magnetization reversals) with non-planar propagating fronts, where the curved nature of the magnetic fronts is reflected in the time-of-arrival at micro-Hall sensors placed at the surface of the sample. Assuming that the avalanche interface is a spherical bubble that grows with a radius proportional to time, we are able to locate the approximate ignition point of each avalanche in a two-dimensional cross-section of the crystal. We find that although in most samples the avalanches ignite at the long ends, as found in earlier studies, there are crystals in which ignition points are distributed throughout an entire weak region near the center, with a few avalanches still originating at the ends
Spatial determination of magnetic avalanche ignition points
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Jaafar, Reem; McHugh, S.; Suzuki, Yoko [Physics Department, City College of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10031 (United States); Sarachik, M.P. [Physics Department, City College of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10031 (United States)], E-mail: sarachik@sci.ccny.cuny.edu; Myasoedov, Y.; Zeldov, E.; Shtrikman, H. [Department Condensed Matter Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100 (Israel); Bagai, R.; Christou, G. [Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States)
2008-03-15
Using time-resolved measurements of local magnetization in the molecular magnet Mn{sub 12}-ac, we report studies of magnetic avalanches (fast magnetization reversals) with non-planar propagating fronts, where the curved nature of the magnetic fronts is reflected in the time-of-arrival at micro-Hall sensors placed at the surface of the sample. Assuming that the avalanche interface is a spherical bubble that grows with a radius proportional to time, we are able to locate the approximate ignition point of each avalanche in a two-dimensional cross-section of the crystal. We find that although in most samples the avalanches ignite at the long ends, as found in earlier studies, there are crystals in which ignition points are distributed throughout an entire weak region near the center, with a few avalanches still originating at the ends.
Progress toward a unified kJ-machine CANDY
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kitagawa, Yoneyoshi; Mori, Yoshitaka; Komeda, Osamu; Hanayama, Ryohei; Ishii, Katsuhiro; Okihara, Shinichiro; Fujita, Kazuhisa; Nakayama, Suisei; Sekine, Takashi; Sato, Nakahiro; Kurita, Takashi; Kawashima, Toshiyuki; Watari, Takeshi; Kan, Hirofumi; Nakamura, Naoki; Kondo, Takuya; Fujine, Manabu; Azuma, Hirozumi; Motohiro, Tomoyoshi; Hioki, Tatsumi
2016-01-01
To construct a unified experimental machine CANDY using a kJ DPSSL driver in the fast-ignition scheme, the Laser for Fast Ignition Experiment (LFEX) at Osaka is used, showing that the laser-driven ions heat the preimploded core of a deuterated polystyrene (CD) shell target from 0.8 keV to 2 keV, resulting in 5 x 10 8 DD neutrons best ever obtained in the scheme. 4-J/10-Hz DPSSL laser HAMA is for the first time applied to the CD shell implosion- core heating experiments in the fast ignition scheme to yield neutrons and also to a continuous target injection, which yields neutrons of 3 x 10 5 n/4πsr n/shot. (paper)
Laser pulse propagation and enhanced energy coupling to fast electrons in dense plasma gradients
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gray, R J; Carroll, D C; Yuan, X H; Brenner, C M; Coury, M; Quinn, M N; Tresca, O; McKenna, P; Burza, M; Wahlström, C-G; Lancaster, K L; Neely, D; Lin, X X; Li, Y T
2014-01-01
Laser energy absorption to fast electrons during the interaction of an ultra-intense (10 20 W cm −2 ), picosecond laser pulse with a solid is investigated, experimentally and numerically, as a function of the plasma density scale length at the irradiated surface. It is shown that there is an optimum density gradient for efficient energy coupling to electrons and that this arises due to strong self-focusing and channeling driving energy absorption over an extended length in the preformed plasma. At longer density gradients the laser filaments, resulting in significantly lower overall energy coupling. As the scale length is further increased, a transition to a second laser energy absorption process is observed experimentally via multiple diagnostics. The results demonstrate that it is possible to significantly enhance laser energy absorption and coupling to fast electrons by dynamically controlling the plasma density gradient. (paper)
Wide and Fast Wavelength-Swept Fiber Laser Based on Dispersion Tuning for Dynamic Sensing
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Shinji Yamashita
2009-01-01
Full Text Available We have developed a unique wide and fast wavelength-swept fiber laser for dynamic and accurate fiber sensing. The wavelength tuning is based on the dispersion tuning technique, which simply modulates the loss/gain in the dispersive laser cavity. By using wideband semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs, the sweep range could be as wide as ∼180 nm. Since the cavity contains no mechanical components, such as tunable filters, we could achieve very high sweep rate, as high as ∼200 kHz. We have realized the swept lasers at three wavelength bands, 1550 nm, 1300 nm, and 800 nm, using SOAs along with erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs, and in two laser configurations, ring and linear ones. We also succeeded in applying the swept laser for a dynamic fiber-Bragg grating (FBG sensor system. In this paper, we review our researches on the wide and fast wavelength-swept fiber lasers.
Radiation-driven hydrodynamics of long pulse hohlraums on the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Dewald, D L; Landen, O L; Suter, L J; Schein, J; Holder, J.; Campbell, K.; Glenzer, S H.; McDonald, J W.; Niemann, C.; Mackinnon, A J.; Schneider, M S.; Haynam, C.; Hinkel, D.; Hammel, B.A.
2005-01-01
The first hohlraum experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) using the first four laser beams have activated the indirect drive experimental capabilities and tested radiation temperature limits imposed by hohlraum plasma filling. Vacuum hohlraums have been irradiated with laser powers up to 6 TW, 1 ns to 9 ns long square pulses and energies of up to 17 kJ to activate several diagnostics, to study the hohlraum radiation temperature scaling with the laser power and hohlraum size, and to make contact with hohlraum experiments performed at the NOVA and Omega laser facilities. Furthermore, for a variety of hohlraum sizes and pulse lengths, the measured x-ray flux shows signatures of plasma filling that coincide with hard x-ray emission from plasma streaming out of the hohlraum. These observations agree with hydrodynamic simulations and with analytical modeling that includes hydrodynamic and coronal radiative losses. The modeling predicts radiation temperature limits on full NIF (1.8 MJ) that are significantly greater than required for ignition hohlraums
Hot electron transport modelling in fast ignition relevant targets with non-Spitzer resistivity
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Chapman, D A; Hoarty, D J; Swatton, D J R [Plasma Physics Department, AWE, Aldermaston, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 4PR (United Kingdom); Hughes, S J, E-mail: david.chapman@awe.co.u [Computational Physics Group, AWE, Aldermaston, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 4PR (United Kingdom)
2010-08-01
The simple Lee-More model for electrical resistivity is implemented in the hybrid fast electron transport code THOR. The model is shown to reproduce experimental data across a wide range of temperatures using a small number of parameters. The effect of this model on the heating of simple Al targets by a short-pulse laser is studied and compared to the predictions of the classical Spitzer-Haerm resistivity. The model is then used in simulations of hot electron transport experiments using buried layer targets.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wu, Hui-Chun; Hegelich, B.M.; Fernandez, J.C.; Shah, R.C.; Palaniyappan, S.; Jung, D.; Yin, L.; Albright, B.J.; Bowers, K.; Kwan, T.J.
2012-01-01
Two new experimental technologies enabled realization of Break-out afterburner (BOA) - High quality Trident laser and free-standing C nm-targets. VPIC is an powerful tool for fundamental research of relativistic laser-matter interaction. Predictions from VPIC are validated - Novel BOA and Solitary ion acceleration mechanisms. VPIC is a fully explicit Particle In Cell (PIC) code: models plasma as billions of macro-particles moving on a computational mesh. VPIC particle advance (which typically dominates computation) has been optimized extensively for many different supercomputers. Laser-driven ions lead to realization promising applications - Ion-based fast ignition; active interrogation, hadron therapy.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Crane, J.K.; Martinez, M.; Beach, R.J.; Mitchell, S.; Pratt, G.; Christensen, J.J.
1995-12-01
We describe a diode laser-pumped Nd:glass regenerative amplifier that amplifies temporally shaped pulses with low distortion, high pulse-to- pulse stability, and high gain. This laser amplifier is a prototype subsystem for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser system. 2 refs., 1 fig
Mehrangiz, M.; Ghasemizad, A.
2017-06-01
Deuteron fast ignition of a conically guided pre-compressed DT fuel is investigated. For this purpose, the acceleration of the deuterated thin foil by the intense laser beam is evaluated. The acceleration values and the number of foil-generated deuterons are calculated in terms of the laser pulse duration. Using the created deuterons as the fast ignitors, we investigate the fast ignition scheme by comparing fully degenerate, partial degenerate and classical types of DT plasma. The total energy gain of deuterons "beam fusion" is calculated to show the efficiency of beam reactions in increasing fusion rate. Besides, the stopping time and stopping range of incident deuterons are evaluated. Our numerical results indicate that degeneracy increases the beam-target collisions. Thus, it prepares the ignition situation sooner than the classical plasma. Moreover, the number of generated deuterons and their acceleration depend on the foil thickness and laser parameters. We show that when a 4ps laser with intensity of 10^{19} W/cm^2 focused onto a 20μm foil, 35× 10^{15} deuterons are generated. Moreover, under our analysis, in order to have a practicable fast ignition, 18% of the laser energy is necessary to convert into a deuteron driver.
Measurements of the divergence of fast electrons in laser-irradiated spherical targets
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yaakobi, B.; Solodov, A. A.; Myatt, J. F.; Delettrez, J. A.; Stoeckl, C.; Froula, D. H.
2013-01-01
In recent experiments using directly driven spherical targets on the OMEGA laser system, the energy in fast electrons was found to reach ∼1% of the laser energy at an irradiance of ∼1.1 × 10 15 W/cm 2 . The fraction of these fast electrons absorbed in the compressed fuel shell depends on their angular divergence. This paper describes measurements of this divergence deduced from a series of shots where Mo-coated shells of increasing diameter (D) were suspended within an outer CH shell. The intensity of the Mo–Kα line and the hard x-ray radiation were found to increase approximately as ∼D 2 , indicating wide divergence of the fast electrons. Alternative interpretations of these results (electron scattering, radiation excitation of Kα, and an electric field due to return current) are shown to be unimportant
Status of the US inertial fusion program and the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Crandall, D.H.
1997-01-01
Research programs supported by the United States Office of Inertial Fusion and the NIF are summarized. The US inertial fusion program has developed an approach to high energy density physics and fusion ignition in the laboratory relying on the current physics basis of capsule drive by lasers and on the National Ignition Facility which is under construction. (AIP) copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics
National Ignition Facility frequency converter development
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Barker, C.E.; Auerbach, J.M.; Adams, C.H.
1996-01-01
A preliminary error budget for the third harmonic converter for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser driver has been developed using a root-sum-square-accumulation of error sources. Such a budget sets an upper bound on the allowable magnitude of the various effects that reduce conversion efficiency. Development efforts on crystal mounting technology and crystal quality studies are discussed
Artem'ev, K. V.; Berezhetskaya, N. K.; Kazantsev, S. Yu.; Kononov, N. G.; Kossyi, I. A.; Popov, N. A.; Tarasova, N. M.; Filimonova, E. A.; Firsov, K. N.
2015-01-01
Results are presented from experimental studies of the initiation of combustion in a stoichiometric methane–oxygen mixture by a freely localized laser spark and by a high-current multispark discharge in a closed chamber. It is shown that, preceding the stage of ‘explosive’ inflammation of a gas mixture, there appear two luminous objects moving away from the initiator along an axis: a relatively fast and uniform wave of ‘incomplete combustion’ under laser spark ignition and a wave with a brightly glowing plasmoid behind under ignition from high-current slipping surface discharge. The gas mixtures in both the ‘preflame’ and developed-flame states are characterized by a high degree of ionization as the result of chemical ionization (plasma density ne≈1012 cm−3) and a high frequency of electron–neutral collisions (νen≈1012 s−1). The role of chemical ionization in constructing an adequate theory for the ignition of a gas mixture is discussed. The feasibility of the microwave heating of both the preflame and developed-flame plasma, supplementary to a chemical energy source, is also discussed. PMID:26170426
Hot Electron Generation and Transport Using Kα Emission
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Akli, K.U.; Stephens, R.B.; Key, M.H.; Bartal, T.; Beg, F.N.; Chawla, S.; Chen, C.D.; Fedosejevs, R.; Freeman, R.R.; Friesen, H.; Giraldez, E.; Green, J.S.; Hey, D.S.; Higginson, D.P.; Hund, J.; Jarrott, L.C.; Kemp, G.E.; King, J.A.; Kryger, A.; Lancaster, K.; LePape, S.; Link, A.; Ma, T.; Mackinnon, A.J.; MacPhee, A.G.; McLean, H.S.; Murphy, C.; Norreys, P.A.; Ovchinnikov, V.; Patel, P.K.; Ping, Y.; Sawada, H.; Schumacher, D.; Theobald, W.; Tsui, Y.Y.; Van Woerkom, L.D.; Wei, M.S.; Westover, B.; Yabuuchi, T.
2010-01-01
We have conducted experiments on both the Vulcan and Titan laser facilities to study hot electron generation and transport in the context of fast ignition. Cu wires attached to Al cones were used to investigate the effect on coupling efficiency of plasma surround and the pre-formed plasma inside the cone. We found that with thin cones 15% of laser energy is coupled to the 40(micro)m diameter wire emulating a 40(micro)m fast ignition spot. Thick cone walls, simulating plasma in fast ignition, reduce coupling by x4. An increase of prepulse level inside the cone by a factor of 50 reduces coupling by a factor of 3.
Power conditioning development for the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Newton, M.A.; Larson, D.W.; Wilson, J.M.; Harjes, H.C.; Savage, M.E.; Anderson, R.L.
1996-10-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a high energy glass laser system and target chamber that will be used for research in inertial confinement fusion. The 192 beams of the NIF laser system are pumped by over 8600 Xenon flashlamps. The power conditioning system for NIF must deliver nearly 300 MJ of energy to the flashlamps in a cost effective and reliable manner. The present system design has over 200 capacitive energy storage modules that store approximately 1.7 MJ each and deliver that energy through a single switch assembly to 20 parallel sets of two series flashlamps. Although there are many possible system designs, few will meet the aggressive cost goals necessary to make the system affordable. Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are developing the system and component technologies that will be required to build the power conditioning system for the National Ignition Facility. This paper will describe the ongoing development activities for the NIF power conditioning system
The effect of laser spot shapes on polar-direct-drive implosions on the National Ignition Facility
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Weilacher, F.; Radha, P. B., E-mail: rbah@lle.rochester.edu; Collins, T. J. B.; Marozas, J. A. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States)
2015-03-15
Ongoing polar-direct-drive (PDD) implosions on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [J. D. Lindl and E. I. Moses, Phys. Plasmas 18, 050901 (2011)] use existing NIF hardware, including indirect-drive phase plates. This limits the performance achievable in these implosions. Spot shapes are identified that significantly improve the uniformity of PDD NIF implosions; outer surface deviation is reduced by a factor of 7 at the end of the laser pulse and hot-spot distortion is reduced by a factor of 2 when the shell has converged by a factor of ∼10. As a result, the neutron yield increases by approximately a factor of 2. This set of laser spot shapes is a combination of circular and elliptical spots, along with elliptical spot shapes modulated by an additional higher-intensity ellipse offset from the center of the beam. This combination is motivated in this paper. It is also found that this improved implosion uniformity is obtained independent of the heat conduction model. This work indicates that significant improvement in performance can be obtained robustly with the proposed spot shapes.
The effect of laser spot shapes on polar-direct-drive implosions on the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Weilacher, F.; Radha, P. B.; Collins, T. J. B.; Marozas, J. A.
2015-01-01
Ongoing polar-direct-drive (PDD) implosions on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [J. D. Lindl and E. I. Moses, Phys. Plasmas 18, 050901 (2011)] use existing NIF hardware, including indirect-drive phase plates. This limits the performance achievable in these implosions. Spot shapes are identified that significantly improve the uniformity of PDD NIF implosions; outer surface deviation is reduced by a factor of 7 at the end of the laser pulse and hot-spot distortion is reduced by a factor of 2 when the shell has converged by a factor of ∼10. As a result, the neutron yield increases by approximately a factor of 2. This set of laser spot shapes is a combination of circular and elliptical spots, along with elliptical spot shapes modulated by an additional higher-intensity ellipse offset from the center of the beam. This combination is motivated in this paper. It is also found that this improved implosion uniformity is obtained independent of the heat conduction model. This work indicates that significant improvement in performance can be obtained robustly with the proposed spot shapes
High-density carbon ablator ignition path with low-density gas-filled rugby hohlraum
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Amendt, Peter; Ho, Darwin D.; Jones, Ogden S.
2015-01-01
A recent low gas-fill density (0.6 mg/cc 4 He) cylindrical hohlraum experiment on the National Ignition Facility has shown high laser-coupling efficiency (>96%), reduced phenomenological laser drive corrections, and improved high-density carbon capsule implosion symmetry [Jones et al., Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 59(15), 66 (2014)]. In this Letter, an ignition design using a large rugby-shaped hohlraum [Amendt et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 112703 (2014)] for high energetics efficiency and symmetry control with the same low gas-fill density (0.6 mg/cc 4 He) is developed as a potentially robust platform for demonstrating thermonuclear burn. The companion high-density carbon capsule for this hohlraum design is driven by an adiabat-shaped [Betti et al., Phys. Plasmas 9, 2277 (2002)] 4-shock drive profile for robust high gain (>10) 1-D ignition performance and large margin to 2-D perturbation growth
High-density carbon ablator ignition path with low-density gas-filled rugby hohlraum
Amendt, Peter; Ho, Darwin D.; Jones, Ogden S.
2015-04-01
A recent low gas-fill density (0.6 mg/cc 4He) cylindrical hohlraum experiment on the National Ignition Facility has shown high laser-coupling efficiency (>96%), reduced phenomenological laser drive corrections, and improved high-density carbon capsule implosion symmetry [Jones et al., Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 59(15), 66 (2014)]. In this Letter, an ignition design using a large rugby-shaped hohlraum [Amendt et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 112703 (2014)] for high energetics efficiency and symmetry control with the same low gas-fill density (0.6 mg/cc 4He) is developed as a potentially robust platform for demonstrating thermonuclear burn. The companion high-density carbon capsule for this hohlraum design is driven by an adiabat-shaped [Betti et al., Phys. Plasmas 9, 2277 (2002)] 4-shock drive profile for robust high gain (>10) 1-D ignition performance and large margin to 2-D perturbation growth.
High-density carbon ablator ignition path with low-density gas-filled rugby hohlraum
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Amendt, Peter; Ho, Darwin D.; Jones, Ogden S. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94551 (United States)
2015-04-15
A recent low gas-fill density (0.6 mg/cc {sup 4}He) cylindrical hohlraum experiment on the National Ignition Facility has shown high laser-coupling efficiency (>96%), reduced phenomenological laser drive corrections, and improved high-density carbon capsule implosion symmetry [Jones et al., Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 59(15), 66 (2014)]. In this Letter, an ignition design using a large rugby-shaped hohlraum [Amendt et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 112703 (2014)] for high energetics efficiency and symmetry control with the same low gas-fill density (0.6 mg/cc {sup 4}He) is developed as a potentially robust platform for demonstrating thermonuclear burn. The companion high-density carbon capsule for this hohlraum design is driven by an adiabat-shaped [Betti et al., Phys. Plasmas 9, 2277 (2002)] 4-shock drive profile for robust high gain (>10) 1-D ignition performance and large margin to 2-D perturbation growth.
Fast elastic e-H(2s) scattering in laser fields
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Vucic, S.; Hewitt, R.; Hewitt, R.
1997-01-01
A numerical method for the evaluation of the Born endash Floquet amplitude for laser-assisted scattering is proposed for the case when a large basis set is required to achieve convergence. The method is applied to analyze the elastic scattering of fast electrons by the H(2s) state in a low-intensity laser field of varying frequency and to study the resonant scattering with increasing laser intensity. While the behavior of an atom in a resonant field of low intensity is determined by virtual transitions between resonant levels, at high intensity a great number of nonresonant virtual transitions may significantly influence laser-assisted processes. As a consequence, the attenuation of resonant effects could appear, as well as the open-quotes localclose quotes stabilization of the atom against ionization. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Storm, E.; Batha, S.H.; Bernat, T.P.; Bibeau, C.; Cable, M.D.; Caird, J.A.; Campbell, E.M.; Campbell, J.H.; Coleman, L.W.; Cook, R.C.; Correll, D.L.; Darrow, C.B.; Davis, J.I.; Drake, R.P.; Ehrlich, R.B.; Ellis, R.J.; Glendinning, S.G.; Haan, S.W.; Haendler, B.L.; Hatcher, C.W.; Hatchett, S.P.; Hermes, G.L.; Hunt, J.P.; Kania, D.R.; Kauffman, R.L.; Kilkenny, J.D.; Kornblum, H.N.; Kruer, W.L.; Kyrazis, D.T.; Lane, S.M.; Laumann, C.W.; Lerche, R.A.; Letts, S.A.; Lindl, J.D.; Lowdermilk, W.H.; Mauger, G.J.; Montgomery, D.S.; Munro, D.H.; Murray, J.R.; Phillion, D.W.; Powell, H.T.; Remington, B.R.; Ress, D.B.; Speck, D.R.; Suter, L.J.; Tietbohl, G.L.; Thiessen, A.R.; Trebes, J.E.; Trenholme, J.B.; Turner, R.E.; Upadhye, R.S.; Wallace, R.J.; Wiedwald, J.D.; Woodworth, J.G.; Young, P.M.; Ze, F.
1990-01-01
The Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Program at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has made substantial progress in target physics, target diagnostics, and laser science and technology. In each area, progress required the development of experimental techniques and computational modeling. The objectives of the target physics experiments in the Nova laser facility are to address and understand critical physics issues that determine the conditions required to achieve ignition and gain in an ICF capsule. The LLNL experimental program primarily addresses indirect-drive implosions, in which the capsule is driven by x rays produced by the interaction of the laser light with a high-Z plasma. Experiments address both the physics of generating the radiation environment in a laser-driven hohlraum and the physics associated with imploding ICF capsules to ignition and high-gain conditions in the absence of alpha deposition. Recent experiments and modeling have established much of the physics necessary to validate the basic concept of ignition and ICF target gain in the laboratory. The rapid progress made in the past several years, and in particular, recent results showing higher radiation drive temperatures and implosion velocities than previously obtained and assumed for high-gain target designs, has led LLNL to propose an upgrade of the Nova laser to 1.5 to 2 MJ (at 0.35 μm) to demonstrate ignition and energy gains of 10 to 20 -- the Nova Upgrade
Laser Absorption by Over-Critical Plasmas
May, J.; Tonge, J.; Fiuza, F.; Fonseca, R. A.; Silva, L. O.; Mori, W. B.
2015-11-01
Absorption of high intensity laser light by matter has important applications to emerging sciences and technology, such as Fast Ignition ICF and ion acceleration. As such, understanding the underlying mechanisms of this absorption is key to developing these technologies. Critical features which distinguish the interaction of high intensity light - defined here as a laser field having a normalized vector potential greater than unity - are that the reaction of the material to the fields results in sharp high-density interfaces; and that the movement of the electrons is in general relativistic, both in a fluid and a thermal sense. The results of these features are that the absorption mechanisms are qualitatively distinct from those at lower intensities. We will review previous work, by our group and others, on the absorption mechanisms, and highlight current research. We will show that the standing wave structure of the reflected laser light is key to particle dynamics for normally incident lasers. The authors acknowledge the support of the Department of Energy under contract DE-NA 0001833 and the National Science Foundation under contract ACI 1339893.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Colaitis, Arnaud
2015-01-01
propagation and energy deposition in plasma is described in the angular scattering approximation, adapted to two-dimensional, transversally Gaussian, multigroup HE beams of arbitrary angular distribution. This model accounts for (i) competition for the laser energy between the various instabilities and with the linear collisional absorption, (ii) coupling between nonlinear LPIs and plasma dynamics via the high energy electron beams and (iii) loss of coupling due to backscattered Raman light. Its performance is confirmed by comparison with measurements of shock timing, laser absorption, HE fluxes and temperatures in experiments conducted on Omega and Pals laser facilities. This multi-scale in line LPI-HE model is used to interpret several Shock Ignition experiments. It is found that HEs from parametric instabilities significantly increase the shock pressure and velocity in the target, while decreasing its strength and the overall ablation pressure. Applications to the high-intensity regime of shock ignition ICF suggest that HEs generated by the nonlinear LPI are nefarious to the capsule implosion in conventional target designs, as they lead to a dramatic increase in the hotspot mass and losses by Bremsstrahlung radiation. This model is readily applicable to hydrodynamic description of laser-target experiments of High Energy Density Physics, in the interaction regimes involving the above-mentioned non-linear LPI processes. (author) [fr
Contributions of the National Ignition Facility to the development of Inertial Fusion Energy
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tobin, M.; Logan, G.; Diaz De La Rubia, T.; Schrock, V.; Schultz, K.; Tokheim, R.; Abdou, M.; Bangerter, R.
1994-06-01
The Department of Energy is proposing to construct the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to embark on a program to achieve ignition and modest gain in the laboratory early in the next century. The NIF will use a ≥ 1.8-MJ, 0.35-mm laser with 192 independent beams, a fifty-fold increase over the energy of the Nova laser. System performance analyses suggest yields as great as 20 MJ may be achievable. The benefits of a micro-fusion capability in the laboratory include: essential contributions to defense programs, resolution of important Inertial Fusion Energy issues, and unparalleled conditions of energy density for basic science and technology research. We have begun to consider the role the National Ignition Facility will fill in the development of Inertial Fusion Energy. While the achievement of ignition and gain speaks for itself in terms of its impact on developing IFE, we believe there are areas of IFE development such as fusion power technology, IFE target design and fabrication, and understanding chamber dynamics, that would significantly benefit from NIF experiments. In the area of IFE target physics, ion targets will be designed using the NIF laser, and feasibility of high gain targets will be confirmed. Target chamber dynamics experiments will benefit from x-ray and debris energies that mimic in-IFE-chamber conditions. Fusion power technology will benefit from using single-shot neutron yields to measure spatial distribution of neutron heating, activation, and tritium breeding in relevant materials. IFE target systems will benefit from evaluating low-cost target fabrication techniques by testing such targets on NIF. Additionally, we believe it is feasible to inject up to four targets and engage them with the NIF laser by triggering the beams in groups of ∼50 separated in time by ∼0.1 s. Sub-ignition neutron yields would allow an indication of symmetry achieved in such proof-of-principle rep-rate experiments
The theoretical and numerical models of the novel and fast tunable semiconductor ring laser
Zhu, Jiangbo; Zhang, Junwen; Chi, Nan; Yu, Siyuan
2011-01-01
Fast wavelength-tunable semiconductor lasers will be the key components in future optical packet switching networks. Especially, they are of great importance in the optical network nodes: transmitters, optical wavelength-routers, etc. In this paper, a new scheme of a next-generation fast tunable ring laser was given. Tunable lasers in this design have better wavelength tunability compared with others, for they are switched faster in wavelength and simpler to control with the injecting light from an external distributed Bragg-reflector(DBR). Then some discussion of the waveguide material system and coupler design of the ring laser were given. And we also derived the multimode rate equations corresponding to this scheme by analyzing some characteristics of the semiconductor ring cavity, directionality, nonlinear mode competition, optical injection locking, etc. We did MatLab simulation based on the new rate equations to research the process of mode competition and wavelength switching in the laser, and achieved the basic functions of a tunable laser. Finally some discussion of the impact of several key parameters was given.
Investigating antennas as ignition aid for automotive HID lamps
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Bergner, A; Engelhardt, M; Bienholz, S; Ruhrmann, C; Hoebing, T; Groeger, S; Mentel, J; Awakowicz, P
2015-01-01
This paper considers the ignition of mercury-free high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps for car headlights. Due to safety reasons, these lamps need to have a fast run-up phase which is ensured, amongst other things, by a high Xe pressure of roughly 15 bar (cold) in the discharge vessel. The high Xe pressure causes an increased ignition voltage compared with former mercury-containing automotive HID lamps or low-pressure lamps used for general-lighting applications. The increase in ignition voltage can be limited if the electric field in front of the electrodes is raised by an uplifting of the electrical conductivity along the outer wall of the inner bulb either by a conductive layer on its surface or by a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) within the outer bulb. This paper considers on the one hand conventional antennas deposited by physical vapour deposition (PVD) and on the other hand a combination of these antennas with a DBD within the outer-bulb operated in 100 mbar Ar as ignition aids. In both cases the antenna potential and antenna width are varied. Additionally, the effects of antenna thickness and antenna material are investigated. The ignition voltage, ignition current and light emission during ignition are measured on a nanosecond timescale. Furthermore, for the very first time, the ignition process is recorded in four consecutive intensified charge-coupled device images using a high-speed camera system with a time resolution in the range of nanoseconds. It was found that antennas strongly reduce the ignition voltage of automotive HID lamps. Active antennas reduce the ignition voltage significantly more than passive antennas, proportional to the conductance of the antenna. Combining conventional antennas with an outer-bulb discharge reduces the ignition voltage from 19 kV without any ignition aid to the intrinsic ignition voltage of the lamp below 10 kV, in the best case. (paper)
Laser heating and magnetic compression of plasma in a fast solenoid
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hoida, H.W.; Vlases, G.C.
1978-01-01
A low-β plasma column a few mm in diameter by 22 cm in length is heated by an axially directed CO 2 laser to a high-β state in a fast rising solenoidal field. Successful heating depends on proper timing between the laser pulse and rising field. Typical conditions attained are a line energy density of 6 J/cm, T-barapprox. =40 eV, and n/sub e/approx. =3 x 10 17 e - /cm 3 , with conditions quite uniform along the length. The heating suppresses instabilities which appear under certain conditions in the non-laser-heated case
Assessing the Two-Plasmon Decay Threat Through Simulations and Experiments on the NIKE Laser System
Phillips, Lee; Weaver, J. L.; Oh, J.; Schmitt, A. J.; Obenschain, S.
2010-11-01
NIKE is a Krf laser system at the Naval Research Laboratory used to explore hydrodynamic stability, equation of state, and other physics problems arising in IFE research. The comparatively short KrF wavelength is expected to raise the threshold of most parametric instabilities. We report on simulations performed using the FAST3d radiation hydrocode to design TPD experiments that have have allowed us to explore the validity of simple threshold formulas and help establish the accuracy of our simulations. We have also studied proposed high-gain shock ignition designs and devised experiments that can approach the relevant scalelength-temperature regime, allowing us a potential experimental method to study the LPI threat to these designs by direct observation. Through FAST3d studies of shock-ignited and conventional direct-drive designs with KrF (248 nm) and 3rd harmonic (351nm) drivers, we examine the benefits of the shorter wavelength KrF light in reducing the LPI threat.
The KAERI laser facility with temporal laser beam shaping for application's user
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hong, Sung Ki; Kim, Min Suk; Kim, Young Won; Ko, Kwanghoon; Lim, Changhwan; Seo, Young Seok
2008-01-01
The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute(KAERI)has been developed a high energy Nd:Glass laser facility(KLF)for fast ignition research and high energy physics applications at early 2008. Now, we are researching the temporal laser beam shaping for application's user. The temporal laser beam shaping has been applied to a number of industrial applications. The KLF beam shaping system with fiber based consists of two electro optic modulator with DC bias using a Mach Zehnder interferometer, an arbitrary electronic waveform generator, a continuous wavelength fiber laser source, a fiber based pulse amplification system and DC bias source to generate temporally shaped pulses with a high extinction ratio and high resolution. RF signal waveform user defined by an arbitrary electronic waveform generator is only connected to one electro optic modulator. DC bias source with auto feed back or manual controller is connected both two electro optic modulators. Emitting laser light from a continuous wavelength fiber laser source is modulated to meet a user defined laser pulse with a high extinction ratio by two electro optic modulators. Experimental results are shown in Fig.1. Figure 1(a)shows two programmed waveforms with the signal width 10ns in an arbitrary electronic waveform generator. Figure 1(b)shows output laser pulses with sub mJ energy from amplification results of the KLF beam shaping system which can control the pulse width ranges from 400ps to sub us
Stable long range proton acceleration driven by intense laser pulse with underdense plasmas
Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Gu, Yanjun; Zhu, Z.; Li, F.X.; Yu, Q.; Huang, S.; Zhang, F.; Kong, Q.; Kawata, S.
2014-01-01
Roč. 21, č. 6 (2014), "063104-1"-"063104-6" ISSN 1070-664X R&D Projects: GA MŠk ED1.1.00/02.0061 Grant - others:ELI Beamlines(XE) CZ.1.05/1.1.00/02.0061; LaserZdroj (OP VK 3)(XE) CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0279 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : ion-acceleration * fast ignition * generation * beams * targets Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 2.142, year: 2014
Review of the National Ignition Campaign 2009-2012
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lindl, John; Landen, Otto; Edwards, John; Moses, Ed
2014-01-01
The National Ignition Campaign (NIC) was a multi-institution effort established under the National Nuclear Security Administration of DOE in 2005, prior to the completion of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in 2009. The scope of the NIC was the planning and preparation for and the execution of the first 3 yr of ignition experiments (through the end of September 2012) as well as the development, fielding, qualification, and integration of the wide range of capabilities required for ignition. Besides the operation and optimization of the use of NIF, these capabilities included over 50 optical, x-ray, and nuclear diagnostic systems, target fabrication facilities, experimental platforms, and a wide range of NIF facility infrastructure. The goal of ignition experiments on the NIF is to achieve, for the first time, ignition and thermonuclear burn in the laboratory via inertial confinement fusion and to develop a platform for ignition and high energy density applications on the NIF. The goal of the NIC was to develop and integrate all of the capabilities required for a precision ignition campaign and, if possible, to demonstrate ignition and gain by the end of FY12. The goal of achieving ignition can be divided into three main challenges. The first challenge is defining specifications for the target, laser, and diagnostics with the understanding that not all ignition physics is fully understood and not all material properties are known. The second challenge is designing experiments to systematically remove these uncertainties. The third challenge is translating these experimental results into metrics designed to determine how well the experimental implosions have performed relative to expectations and requirements and to advance those metrics toward the conditions required for ignition. This paper summarizes the approach taken to address these challenges, along with the progress achieved to date and the challenges that remain. At project completion in 2009, NIF lacked
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Erlandson, A.C.; Lambert, H.; Zapata, L.E.
1996-12-01
We have analyzed the availability and reliability of the flashlamp-pumped, Nd:glass amplifiers that, as a part of a laser now being designed for future experiments, in inertial confinement fusion (ICF), will be used in the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Clearly , in order for large ICF systems such as the NIF to operate effectively as a whole, all components must meet demanding availability and reliability requirements. Accordingly, the NIF amplifiers can achieve high reliability and availability by using reliable parts, and by using a cassette-based maintenance design that allows most key amplifier parts to be 1744 replaced within a few hours. In this way, parts that degrade slowly, as the laser slabs, silver reflectors, and blastshields can be expected to do, based on previous experience, can be replaced either between shots or during scheduled maintenance periods, with no effect on availability or reliability. In contrast, parts that fail rapidly, such as the flashlamps, can and do cause unavailability or unreliability. Our analysis demonstrates that the amplifiers for the NIF will meet availability and reliability goals, respectively, of 99.8% and 99.4%, provided that the 7680 NIF flashlamps in NIF have failure rates of less than, or equal to, those experienced on Nova, a 5000-lamp laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
Laser - driven high - energy ions and their application to inertial confinement fusion
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Borghesi, M.
2007-01-01
The acceleration of high-energy ion beams (up to several tens of MeV per nucleon) following the interaction of short and intense laser pulses with solid targets has been one of the most important results of recent laser-plasma research [1]. The acceleration is driven by relativistic electrons, which acquire energy directly from the laser pulse and set up extremely large (∼TV/m) space charge fields at the target interfaces. The properties of laser-driven ion beams (high brightness and laminarity, high-energy cut-off, ultrashort burst duration) distinguish them from lower energy ions accelerated in earlier experiments at moderate laser intensities, and compare favourably with those of 'conventional' accelerator beams. In view of these properties, laser-driven ion beams can be employed in a number of innovative applications in the scientific, technological and medical areas. We will discuss in particular aspects of interest to their application in an Inertial Confinement Fusion context. Laser-driven protons are indeed being considered as a possible trigger for Fast Ignition of a precompressed fuel.[2] Recent results relating to the optimization of beam energy and focusing will be presented. These include the use of laser-driven impulsive fields for proton beam collimation and focusing [3], and the investigation of acceleration in presence of finite-scale plasma gradient. Proposed target developments enabling proton production at high repetition rate will also be discussed. Another important area of application of proton beams is diagnostic use in a particle probing arrangement for detection of density non-homogeneities [4] and electric/magnetic fields [5]. We will discuss the use of laser-driven proton beams for the diagnosis of magnetic and electric fields in planar and hohlraum targets and for the detection of fields associated to relativistic electron propagation through dense matter, an issue of high relevance for electron driven Fast Ignition. [1] M
Probability of ignition - a better approach than ignition margin
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ho, S.K.; Perkins, L.J.
1989-01-01
The use of a figure of merit - the probability of ignition - is proposed for the characterization of the ignition performance of projected ignition tokamaks. Monte Carlo and analytic models have been developed to compute the uncertainty distribution function for ignition of a given tokamak design, in terms of the uncertainties inherent in the tokamak physics database. A sample analysis with this method indicates that the risks of not achieving ignition may be unacceptably high unless the accepted margins for ignition are increased. (author). Letter-to-the-editor. 12 refs, 2 figs, 2 tabs
X-ray spectroscopic characterization of shock-ignition-relevant plasmas
Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Šmíd, Michal; Antonelli, L.; Renner, Oldřich
2013-01-01
Roč. 53, č. 2 (2013), 233-236 ISSN 1210-2709 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP205/10/0814 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : hot electrons * shock ignition * laser-produced plasma * X-ray spectroscopy * Kα radiation Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics
Implementation of a near backscattering imaging system on the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mackinnon, A.J.; McCarville, T.; Piston, K.; Niemann, C.; Jones, G.; Reinbachs, I.; Costa, R.; Celeste, J.; Holtmeier, G.; Griffith, R.; Kirkwood, R.; MacGowan, B.; Glenzer, S.H.; Latta, M.R.
2004-01-01
A near backscattering imaging diagnostic system is being implemented on the first quad of beams on the National Ignition Facility. This diagnostic images diffusing scatter plates, placed around the final focus lenses on the National Ignition Facility target chamber, to quantitatively measure the fraction of light backscattered outside of the focusing cone angle of incident laser beam. A wide-angle imaging system relays an image of light scattered outside the lens onto a gated charge coupled device camera, providing 3 mm resolution over a 2 m field of view. To account for changes of the system throughput due to exposure to target debris the system will be routinely calibrated in situ at 532 and 355 nm using a dedicated pulsed laser source
Simulation of hydrogen and hydrogen-assisted propane ignition in Pt catalyzed microchannel
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Seshadri, Vikram; Kaisare, Niket S. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology - Madras, Chennai 600 036 (India)
2010-11-15
This paper deals with self-ignition of catalytic microburners from ambient cold-start conditions. First, reaction kinetics for hydrogen combustion is validated with experimental results from the literature, followed by validation of a simplified pseudo-2D microburner model. The model is then used to study the self-ignition behavior of lean hydrogen/air mixtures in a Platinum-catalyzed microburner. Hydrogen combustion on Pt is a very fast reaction. During cold start ignition, hydrogen conversion reaches 100% within the first few seconds and the reactor dynamics are governed by the ''thermal inertia'' of the microburner wall structure. The self-ignition property of hydrogen can be used to provide the energy required for propane ignition. Two different modes of hydrogen-assisted propane ignition are considered: co-feed mode, where the microburner inlet consists of premixed hydrogen/propane/air mixtures; and sequential feed mode, where the inlet feed is switched from hydrogen/air to propane/air mixtures after the microburner reaches propane ignition temperature. We show that hydrogen-assisted ignition is equivalent to selectively preheating the inlet section of the microburner. The time to reach steady state is lower at higher equivalence ratio, lower wall thermal conductivity, and higher inlet velocity for both the ignition modes. The ignition times and propane emissions are compared. Although the sequential feed mode requires slightly higher amount of hydrogen, the propane emissions are at least an order of magnitude lower than the other ignition modes. (author)
The First Experiments on the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Landen, O L; Glenzer, S; Froula, D; Dewald, E; Suter, L J; Schneider, M; Hinkel, D; Fernandez, J; Kline, J; Goldman, S; Braun, D; Celliers, P; Moon, S; Robey, H; Lanier, N; Glendinning, G; Blue, B; Wilde, B; Jones, O; Schein, J; Divol, L; Kalantar, D; Campbell, K; Holder, J; MacDonald, J; Niemann, C; Mackinnon, A; Collins, R; Bradley, D; Eggert, J; Hicks, D; Gregori, G; Kirkwood, R; Young, B; Foster, J; Hansen, F; Perry, T; Munro, D; Baldis, H; Grim, G; Heeter, R; Hegelich, B; Montgomery, D; Rochau, G; Olson, R; Turner, R; Workman, J; Berger, R; Cohen, B; Kruer, W; Langdon, B; Langer, S; Meezan, N; Rose, H; Still, B; Williams, E; Dodd, E; Edwards, J; Monteil, M; Stevenson, M; Thomas, B; Coker, R; Magelssen, G; Rosen, P; Stry, P; Woods, D; Weber, S; Alvarez, S; Armstrong, G; Bahr, R; Bourgade, J; Bower, D; Celeste, J; Chrisp, M; Compton, S; Cox, J; Constantin, C; Costa, R; Duncan, J; Ellis, A; Emig, J; Gautier, C; Greenwood, A; Griffith, R; Holdner, F; Holtmeier, G; Hargrove, D; James, T; Kamperschroer, J; Kimbrough, J; Landon, M; Lee, D; Malone, R; May, M; Montelongo, S; Moody, J; Ng, E; Nikitin, A; Pellinen, D; Piston, K; Poole, M; Rekow, V; Rhodes, M; Shepherd, R; Shiromizu, S; Voloshin, D; Warrick, A; Watts, P; Weber, F; Young, P; Arnold, P; Atherton, L J; Bardsley, G; Bonanno, R; Borger, T; Bowers, M; Bryant, R; Buckman, S; Burkhart, S; Cooper, F; Dixit, S; Erbert, G; Eder, D; Ehrlich, B; Felker, B; Fornes, J; Frieders, G; Gardner, S; Gates, C; Gonzalez, M; Grace, S; Hall, T; Haynam, C; Heestand, G; Henesian, M; Hermann, M; Hermes, G; Huber, S; Jancaitis, K; Johnson, S; Kauffman, B; Kelleher, T; Kohut, T; Koniges, A E; Labiak, T; Latray, D; Lee, A; Lund, D; Mahavandi, S; Manes, K R; Marshall, C; McBride, J; McCarville, T; McGrew, L; Menapace, J.
2005-01-01
A first set of laser-plasma interaction, hohlraum energetics and hydrodynamic experiments have been performed using the first 4 beams of the National Ignition Facility (NIF), in support of indirect drive Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High Energy Density Physics (HEDP). In parallel, a robust set of optical and x-ray spectrometers, interferometer, calorimeters and imagers have been activated. The experiments have been undertaken with laser powers and energies of up to 8 TW and 17 kJ in flattop and shaped 1-9 ns pulses focused with various beam smoothing options
Investigating the outer-bulb discharge as ignition aid for automotive-HID lamps
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Bergner, A; Groeger, S; Hoebing, T; Ruhrmann, C; Mentel, J; Awakowicz, P; Hechtfischer, U; Tochadse, G
2014-01-01
This work considers the ignition process of mercury-free high-intensity discharge lamps used for car headlights. These lamps have to run-up fast. This is achieved with a high xenon pressure of about 15 bar (cold) in the inner bulb. The high filling-gas pressure causes an increased ignition voltage compared with lower-pressure lamps used in general-lighting applications. In this paper the possibility is investigated to reduce the ignition voltage by optimizing a dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) in the outer bulb working as ignition aid. A special outer bulb was built up allowing gas exchange and adjustment of the gas pressure. For diagnostic purposes different electrical and optical methods are used, namely the recording of ignition voltage, ignition current and light emission by a photo-diode signal on nanosecond time scale as well as short-time photography by a intensified charge-coupled device camera. It was found that the DBD mainly generates a potential distribution within the lamp which supports ignition by an increase in the E-field in front of the electrodes and the wall. It is shown that this effect is distinctly more effective than UV radiation potentially emitted by the DBD. (paper)
Progress on the physics of ignition for radiation driven inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lindl, J.D.; Marinak, M.M.
1996-09-01
Extensive modeling of proposed National Ignition Facility (NIF) ignition targets has resulted in a variety of targets using different materials in the fuel shell, using driving temperatures which range from 250-300 eV, and requiring energies from 15 W/cm 2 for this type of hohlraum. The symmetry in Nova gas- filled hohlraums is affected by the gas fill. A large body of evidence now exists which indicates that this effect is due to laser beam filamentation which can be largely controlled by beam smoothing. We present here the firs 3-D simulations of hydrodynamic instability for the NIF point design capsule. These simulations, with the HYDRA radiation hydrodynamics code, indicate that spikes can penetrate up to 10 μm into the 30μm radius hot spot before ignition is quenched. Using capsules whose surface is modified by laser ablation, Nova experiments have been used to quantify the degradation of implosions subject to near NIF levels of hydrodynamic instability
Nilson, P. M.
2010-11-01
Intense laser--matter interactions generate high-current electron beams. The laser-electron conversion efficiency is an important parameter for fast ignition and for developing intense x-ray sources for flash-radiography and x-ray-scattering experiments. These applications may require kilojoules of laser energy focused to greater than 10^18 W/cm^2 with pulse durations of tens of picoseconds. Previous experiments have measured the conversion efficiency with picosecond and subpicosecond laser pulses with energies up to ˜500 J. The research extends conversion-efficiency measurements to 1- to 10-ps laser pulses with energies up to 2100 J using the OMEGA EP Laser System and shows that the conversion efficiency is constant (20±10%) over the entire range The conversion efficiency is measured for interactions with finite-mass, thin-foil targets. A collimated electron jet exits the target rear surface and initiates rapid target charging, causing the majority of laser-accelerated electrons to recirculate (reflux) within the target. The total fast-electron energy is inferred from K-photon spectroscopy. Time-resolved x-ray emission data suggest that electrons are accelerated into the target over the entire laser-pulse duration with approximately constant conversion. This work provides significant insight into high-intensity laser--target interactions. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Inertial Confinement Fusion under Cooperative Agreement Nos. DE-FC52-08NA28302 and DE-FC02-04ER54789. [4pt] In collaboration with R. Betti, A. A. Solodov (LLE/FSC), R. S. Craxton, J. A. Delettrez, C. Dorrer, L. Gao, P. A. Jaanimagi, J. H. Kelly, B. E. Kruschwitz, D. D. Meyerhofer, J. F. Myatt, T. C. Sangster, C. Stoeckl, W. Theobald, B. Yaakobi, J. D. Zuegel (LLE), A. J. MacKinnon, P. K. Patel (LLNL), K. U. Akli (General Atomics), L. Willingale, K. M. Krushelnick (U. of Michigan).
Fast optical shutters for Nova, a high power fusion laser
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Bradley, L.P.; Gagnon, W.L.; Carder, B.M.
1977-01-01
Preliminary design and performance test results for fast optical shutters intended for use in the Nova high power fusion laser system are briefly described. Both an opening shutter to protect the pellet target from amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), and a closing shutter to protect the laser from light reflected back from the target are discussed. Faraday rotators, synchronized by a 400 Hz oscillator, provide an opening shutter mechanism with an opening time of approximately 10 μs. A plasma closing shutter, employing electrical sublimation of a foil, provide a shutter closing time of 70 ns +- 20 ns. Energy for foil sublimation is provided by discharge of a 42 J capacitor bank. Implementation of these shutter techniques in the Nova system is anticipated to improve laser output power and efficiency
A hybrid-drive nonisobaric-ignition scheme for inertial confinement fusion
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
He, X. T., E-mail: xthe@iapcm.ac.cn [Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, P. O. Box 8009, Beijing 100094 (China); Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); IFSA Collaborative Innovation Center of MoE, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Institute of Fusion Theory and Simulation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Li, J. W.; Wang, L. F.; Liu, J.; Lan, K.; Ye, W. H. [Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, P. O. Box 8009, Beijing 100094 (China); Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); IFSA Collaborative Innovation Center of MoE, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Fan, Z. F.; Wu, J. F. [Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, P. O. Box 8009, Beijing 100094 (China)
2016-08-15
A new hybrid-drive (HD) nonisobaric ignition scheme of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is proposed, in which a HD pressure to drive implosion dynamics increases via increasing density rather than temperature in the conventional indirect drive (ID) and direct drive (DD) approaches. In this HD (combination of ID and DD) scheme, an assembled target of a spherical hohlraum and a layered deuterium-tritium capsule inside is used. The ID lasers first drive the shock to perform a spherical symmetry implosion and produce a large-scale corona plasma. Then, the DD lasers, whose critical surface in ID corona plasma is far from the radiation ablation front, drive a supersonic electron thermal wave, which slows down to a high-pressure electron compression wave, like a snowplow, piling up the corona plasma into high density and forming a HD pressurized plateau with a large width. The HD pressure is several times the conventional ID and DD ablation pressure and launches an enhanced precursor shock and a continuous compression wave, which give rise to the HD capsule implosion dynamics in a large implosion velocity. The hydrodynamic instabilities at imploding capsule interfaces are suppressed, and the continuous HD compression wave provides main pdV work large enough to hotspot, resulting in the HD nonisobaric ignition. The ignition condition and target design based on this scheme are given theoretically and by numerical simulations. It shows that the novel scheme can significantly suppress implosion asymmetry and hydrodynamic instabilities of current isobaric hotspot ignition design, and a high-gain ICF is promising.
Fast physical random bit generation with chaotic semiconductor lasers
Uchida, Atsushi; Amano, Kazuya; Inoue, Masaki; Hirano, Kunihito; Naito, Sunao; Someya, Hiroyuki; Oowada, Isao; Kurashige, Takayuki; Shiki, Masaru; Yoshimori, Shigeru; Yoshimura, Kazuyuki; Davis, Peter
2008-12-01
Random number generators in digital information systems make use of physical entropy sources such as electronic and photonic noise to add unpredictability to deterministically generated pseudo-random sequences. However, there is a large gap between the generation rates achieved with existing physical sources and the high data rates of many computation and communication systems; this is a fundamental weakness of these systems. Here we show that good quality random bit sequences can be generated at very fast bit rates using physical chaos in semiconductor lasers. Streams of bits that pass standard statistical tests for randomness have been generated at rates of up to 1.7 Gbps by sampling the fluctuating optical output of two chaotic lasers. This rate is an order of magnitude faster than that of previously reported devices for physical random bit generators with verified randomness. This means that the performance of random number generators can be greatly improved by using chaotic laser devices as physical entropy sources.
LLE 2007 Annual Report, October 2006 - September 2007
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
None, None
2008-01-31
The laser-fusion research program at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) is focused on the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA’s) Campaign-10 inertial confinement fusion (ICF) ignition and experimental support technology, operation of facilities (OMEGA), and the construction of OMEGA EP -- a high energy petawatt laser system. While LLE is the lead laboratory for research into the direct-drive approach to ICF ignition, it also takes a lead role in certain indirect-drive tasks within the National Ignition Campaign. During this past year progress in the laser-fusion research program was made in three principal areas: OMEGA direct drive and indirect-drive experiments and targets; development of diagnostics for experiments on OMEGA, OMEGA EP, and the National Ignition Facility (NIF); and theoretical analysis and design efforts aimed at improving direct-drive-ignition capsule designs and advanced ignition concepts such as fast ignition and shock ignition.
Introduction to the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Moses, E I
2004-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a stadium-sized facility containing a 192-beam, 1.8-Megajoule, 500-Terawatt, ultraviolet laser system together with a 10-meter diameter target chamber with room for nearly 100 experimental diagnostics. NIF will be the world's largest and most energetic laser experimental system, providing a scientific center to study inertial confinement fusion and matter at extreme energy densities and pressures. NIF's energetic laser beams will compress fusion targets to conditions required for thermonuclear bum, liberating more energy than required to initiate the fusion reactions. Other NIF experiments will study physical processes at temperatures approaching 10 8 K and 10 11 bar, conditions that exist naturally only in the interior of stars, planets and in nuclear weapons. NIF has completed the first phases of its laser commissioning program. The first four beams of NIF have generated 106 kilojoules of infrared light and over 16 kJ at the third harmonic (351 nm). NIF's target experimental systems are being commissioned and experiments have begun. This paper provides a detailed look the NIF laser systems, laser and optical performance and results from recent laser commissioning shots, and plans for commissioning diagnostics for experiments on NIF
Ignition characteristics of the nickel-based alloy UNS N07001 in pressurized oxygen
Bransford, J. W.; Billiard, P. A.
1990-01-01
The development of ignition and combustion in pressurized oxygen atmospheres was studied for the nickel-based alloy UNS N07001. Ignition of the alloy was achieved by heating the top surface of a cylindrical specimen with a continuous-wave CO2 laser. Two heating procedures were used. In the first, laser power was adjusted to maintain an approximately linear increase in surface temperature. In the second, laser power was periodically increased until autoheating (self-heating) was established. It was found that the alloy would autoheat to combustion from temperatures below the solidus temperature. In addition, the alloy had a tendency to develop combustion zones (hot spots) at high oxygen pressures when the incremental (step) heating test mode was used. Unique points on the temperature-time curves that describe certain events are defined and the temperatures at which these events occur are given for the oxygen pressure range of 1.72 to 13.8 MPa (250 to 2000 psia).
Target experimental area and systems of the Us national ignition facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tobin, M.; Van Wonterghem, B.; MacGowan, B.J.; Hibbard, W.; Kalantar, D.; Lee, F.D.; Pittenger, L.; Wong, K.
2000-01-01
One of the major goals of the US National Ignition Facility is the demonstration of laser driven fusion ignition and burn of targets by inertial confinement and provide capability for a wide variety of high energy density physics experiments. The NIF target area houses the optical systems required to focus the 192 beamlets to a target precisely positioned at the center of the 10 meter diameter, 10-cm thick aluminum target chamber. The chamber serves as mounting surface for the 48 final optics assemblies, the target alignment and positioning equipment, and the target diagnostics. The internal surfaces of the chamber are protected by louvered steel beam dumps. The target area also provides the necessary shielding against target emission and environmental protection equipment. Despite its complexity, the design provides the flexibility to accommodate the needs of the various NIF user groups, such as direct and indirect drive irradiation geometries, modular final optics design, capability to handle cryogenic targets, and easily re-configurable diagnostic instruments. Efficient target area operations are ensured by using line-replaceable designs for systems requiring frequent inspection, maintenance and reconfiguration, such as the final optics, debris shields, phase plates and the diagnostic instruments. A precision diagnostic instrument manipulator (DIMS) allows fast removal and precise repositioning of diagnostic instruments. In addition we will describe several activities to enhance the target chamber availability, such as the target debris mitigation, the use of standard experimental configurations and the development of smart shot operations planning tools. (authors)
Automated assembly of fast-axis collimation (FAC) lenses for diode laser bar modules
Miesner, Jörn; Timmermann, Andre; Meinschien, Jens; Neumann, Bernhard; Wright, Steve; Tekin, Tolga; Schröder, Henning; Westphalen, Thomas; Frischkorn, Felix
2009-02-01
Laser diodes and diode laser bars are key components in high power semiconductor lasers and solid state laser systems. During manufacture, the assembly of the fast axis collimation (FAC) lens is a crucial step. The goal of our activities is to design an automated assembly system for high volume production. In this paper the results of an intermediate milestone will be reported: a demonstration system was designed, realized and tested to prove the feasibility of all of the system components and process features. The demonstration system consists of a high precision handling system, metrology for process feedback, a powerful digital image processing system and tooling for glue dispensing, UV curing and laser operation. The system components as well as their interaction with each other were tested in an experimental system in order to glean design knowledge for the fully automated assembly system. The adjustment of the FAC lens is performed by a series of predefined steps monitored by two cameras concurrently imaging the far field and the near field intensity distributions. Feedback from these cameras processed by a powerful and efficient image processing algorithm control a five axis precision motion system to optimize the fast axis collimation of the laser beam. Automated cementing of the FAC to the diode bar completes the process. The presentation will show the system concept, the algorithm of the adjustment as well as experimental results. A critical discussion of the results will close the talk.
Demonstrating ignition hydrodynamic equivalence in direct-drive cryogenic implosions on OMEGA
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Goncharov, V N; Regan, S P; Sangster, T C; Betti, R; Boehly, T R; Campbell, E M; Delettrez, J A; Edgell, D H; Epstein, R; Forrest, C J; Froula, D H; Glebov, V Yu; Harding, D R; Hu, S X; Igumenshchev, I V; Marshall, F J; McCrory, R L; Michel, D T; Myatt, J F; Radha, P B
2016-01-01
Achieving ignition in a direct-drive cryogenic implosion at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) requires reaching central stagnation pressures in excess of 100 Gbar, which is a factor of 3 to 4 less than what is required for indirect-drive designs. The OMEGA Laser System is used to study the physics of cryogenic implosions that are hydrodynamically equivalent to the spherical ignition designs of the NIF. Current cryogenic implosions on OMEGA have reached 56 Gbar, and implosions with shell convergence CR< 17 and fuel adiabat α > 3.5 proceed close to 1-D predictions. Demonstrating hydrodynamic equivalence on OMEGA will require reducing coupling losses caused by cross-beam energy transfer (CBET), minimizing long- wavelength nonuniformity seeded by power imbalance and target offset, and removing target debris occumulated during cryogenic target production. (paper)
Influence of fast alpha diffusion and thermal alpha buildup on tokamak reactor performance
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Uckan, N.A.; Tolliver, J.S.; Houlberg, W.A.; Attenberger, S.E.
1988-01-01
The effect of fast alpha diffusion and thermal alpha accumulation on the confinement capability of a candidate Engineering Test Reactor plasma (Tokamak Ignition/Burn Experimental Reactor) in achieving ignition and steady-state driven operation has been assessed using both global and 1-1/2-dimensional transport models. Estimates are made of the threshold for radial diffusion of fast alphas and thermal alpha buildup. It is shown that a relatively low level of radial transport, when combined with large gradients in the fast alpha density, leads to a significant radial flow with a deleterious effect on plasma performance. Similarly, modest levels of thermal alpha concentration significantly influence the ignition and steady-state burn capability
Fast automotive diesel exhaust measurement using quantum cascade lasers
Herbst, J.; Brunner, R.; Lambrecht, A.
2013-12-01
Step by step, US and European legislations enforce the further reduction of atmospheric pollution caused by automotive exhaust emissions. This is pushing automotive development worldwide. Fuel efficient diesel engines with SCRtechnology can impede NO2-emission by reduction with NH3 down to the ppm range. To meet the very low emission limits of the Euro6 resp. US NLEV (National Low Emission Vehicle) regulations, automotive manufacturers have to optimize continuously all phases of engine operation and corresponding catalytic converters. Especially nonstationary operation holds a high potential for optimizing gasoline consumption and further reducing of pollutant emissions. Test equipment has to cope with demanding sensitivity and speed requirements. In the past Fraunhofer IPM has developed a fast emission analyzer called DEGAS (Dynamic Exhaust Gas Analyzer System), based on cryogenically cooled lead salt lasers. These systems have been used at Volkswagen AG`s test benches for a decade. Recently, IPM has developed DEGAS-Next which is based on cw quantum cascade lasers and thermoelectrically cooled detectors. The system is capable to measure three gas components (i.e. NO, NO2, NH3) in two channels with a time resolution of 20 ms and 1 ppm detection limits. We shall present test data and a comparison with fast FTIR measurements.
Progress in the shock-ignition inertial confinement fusion concept
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
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.
2013-01-01
Shock-ignition experiments with peak laser intensities of ∼8 x 10 15 W/cm 2 were performed. D 2 -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. (authors)
Modeling characterization of the National Ignition Facility focal spot
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Williams, W.H.
1998-01-01
The predicted focal spot size of the National Ignition Facility laser is parameterized against the finish quality of the optics in the system. Results are reported from simulations which include static optics aberrations, as well as pump-induced distortions, beam self-focusing, and the effect of an adaptive optic. The simulations do not include contributions from optics mounting errors, residual thermal noise in laser slabs from previous shots, air turbulence, a kinoform phase plate, or smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD). Consequently, these results represent ''first shot of the day'', without-SSD, predictions
Electron-beam initiated HF lasers
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gerber, R.A.; Patterson, E.L.
1975-01-01
Electron beams were used to ignite hydrogen/fluorine mixtures, producing laser energies up to 4.2 kJ, and giving hope that this approach may soon produce energy levels suitable for laser-fusion studies. (auth)
Badra, Jihad
2014-03-01
Ketones are potential biofuel candidates and are also formed as intermediate products during the oxidation of large hydrocarbons or oxygenated fuels, such as alcohols and esters. This paper presents shock tube ignition delay times and OH reaction rates of 2-butanone (C2H5COCH3) and 3-buten-2-one (C2H3COCH3). Ignition delay measurements were carried out over temperatures of 1100-1400K, pressures of 3-6.5atm, and at equivalence ratios (F{cyrillic}) of 0.5 and 1. Ignition delay times were monitored using two different techniques: pressure time history and OH absorption near 306nm. The reaction rates of hydroxyl radicals (OH) with these two ketones were measured over the temperature range of 950-1400K near 1.5atm. The OH profiles were monitored by the narrow-line-width ring-dye laser absorption of the well-characterized R1(5) line in the OH A-X (0, 0) band near 306.69nm. We found that the ignition delay times of 2-butanone and 3-buten-2-one mixtures scale with pressure as P-0.42 and P-0.52, respectively. The ignition delay times of 3-buten-2-one were longer than that of 2-butanone for stoichiometric mixtures, however, for lean mixtures (F{cyrillic}=0.5), 2-butanone had longer ignition delay times. The chemical kinetic mechanism of Serinyel et al. [1] over-predicted the ignition delay times of 2-butanone at all tested conditions, however, the discrepancies were smaller at higher pressures. The mechanism was updated with recent rate measurements to decrease discrepancy with the experimental data. A detailed chemistry for the oxidation of 3-buten-2-one was developed using rate estimation method and reasonable agreements were obtained with the measured ignition delay data. The measured reaction rate of 2-butanone with OH agreed well with the literature data, while we present the first high-temperature measurements for the reaction of OH with 3-buten-2-one. The following Arrhenius expressions are suggested over the temperature range of 950-1450K: kC2H5COCH3+OH=6.78×1013exp
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Malka, G.; Courtois, C.; Cros, B.; Matthieussent, G.; Borghesi, M.; Gaillard, R.; Mackinnon, A.J.; Willi, O.; Danson, C.; Neely, D.; Altenberd, D.; Feurer, T.; Forster, E.; Gibbon, P.; Sauerbray, R.; Teubner, U.; Theobald, W.; Uschmann, I.; Amiranoff, F.; Baton, S.; Gremillet, L.; Fuchs, J.; Marques, J.R.; Gallant, P.; Kieffer, J.C.; Pepin, H.; Adam, J.C.; Heron, A.; Laval, G.; Mora, P.
2000-01-01
We present an abstract of ultra short and intense laser plasma interaction experiments which were performed with the 100 TW P102 laser facility at CEA/Limeil-Valenton. Laser interaction at relativistic regime (I>10 18 W/cm 2 ) has been investigated with different 'targets': overdense plasma, underdense plasma, free electrons and capillary tube. These experiments are of great interests for the Fast Ignitor concept and the Laser Particle Accelerator. (authors)
Rosenberg, M. J.; Solodov, A. A.; Myatt, J. F.; Seka, W.; Michel, P.; Hohenberger, M.; Short, R. W.; Epstein, R.; Regan, S. P.; Campbell, E. M.; Chapman, T.; Goyon, C.; Ralph, J. E.; Barrios, M. A.; Moody, J. D.; Bates, J. W.
2018-01-01
Planar laser-plasma interaction (LPI) experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) have allowed access for the first time to regimes of electron density scale length (˜500 to 700 μ m ), electron temperature (˜3 to 5 keV), and laser intensity (6 to 16 ×1014 W /cm2 ) that are relevant to direct-drive inertial confinement fusion ignition. Unlike in shorter-scale-length plasmas on OMEGA, scattered-light data on the NIF show that the near-quarter-critical LPI physics is dominated by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) rather than by two-plasmon decay (TPD). This difference in regime is explained based on absolute SRS and TPD threshold considerations. SRS sidescatter tangential to density contours and other SRS mechanisms are observed. The fraction of laser energy converted to hot electrons is ˜0.7 % to 2.9%, consistent with observed levels of SRS. The intensity threshold for hot-electron production is assessed, and the use of a Si ablator slightly increases this threshold from ˜4×10 14 to ˜6 ×1014 W /cm2 . These results have significant implications for mitigation of LPI hot-electron preheat in direct-drive ignition designs.
Fast ion generation in femto- and picosecond laser plasma at low fluxes of heating radiation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Faenov, A.Ya.; Pikuz, T.A.; Magunov, A.I.
2006-01-01
X-ray spectra from fluoroplastic targets irradiated by laser pulses with duration of 60 fs to 1 ps have been investigated experimentally. It is shown that, when the contrast of the laser pulse is sufficiently low, the effect of self-focusing of the main laser pulse in the plasma produced by the prepulse can significantly enhance the generation efficiency of fast particles. In this case, ions with energies as high as ∼1 MeV are observed at relatively low laser intensities [ru
Shock Tube Ignition Delay Data Affected by Localized Ignition Phenomena
Javed, Tamour
2016-12-29
Shock tubes have conventionally been used for measuring high-temperature ignition delay times ~ O(1 ms). In the last decade or so, the operating regime of shock tubes has been extended to lower temperatures by accessing longer observation times. Such measurements may potentially be affected by some non-ideal phenomena. The purpose of this work is to measure long ignition delay times for fuels exhibiting negative temperature coefficient (NTC) and to assess the impact of shock tube non-idealities on ignition delay data. Ignition delay times of n-heptane and n-hexane were measured over the temperature range of 650 – 1250 K and pressures near 1.5 atm. Driver gas tailoring and long length of shock tube driver section were utilized to measure ignition delay times as long as 32 ms. Measured ignition delay times agree with chemical kinetic models at high (> 1100 K) and low (< 700 K) temperatures. In the intermediate temperature range (700 – 1100 K), however, significant discrepancies are observed between the measurements and homogeneous ignition delay simulations. It is postulated, based on experimental observations, that localized ignition kernels could affect the ignition delay times at the intermediate temperatures, which lead to compression (and heating) of the bulk gas and result in expediting the overall ignition event. The postulate is validated through simple representative computational fluid dynamic simulations of post-shock gas mixtures which exhibit ignition advancement via a hot spot. The results of the current work show that ignition delay times measured by shock tubes may be affected by non-ideal phenomena for certain conditions of temperature, pressure and fuel reactivity. Care must, therefore, be exercised in using such data for chemical kinetic model development and validation.
Shock ignition: a brief overview and progress in the design of robust targets
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Atzeni, S; Marocchino, A; Schiavi, A
2015-01-01
Shock ignition is a laser direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) scheme in which the stages of compression and hot spot formation are partly separated. The fuel is first imploded at a lower velocity than in conventional ICF, reducing the threats due to Rayleigh–Taylor instability. Close to stagnation, an intense laser spike drives a strong converging shock, which contributes to hot spot formation. This paper starts with a brief overview of the theoretical studies, target design and experimental results on shock ignition. The second part of the paper illustrates original work aiming at the design of robust targets and computation of the relevant gain curves. Following Chang et al (2010 Phys. Rev. Lett. 104 135002) a safety factor for high gain, ITF* (analogous to the ignition threshold factor ITF introduced by Clark et al (2008 Phys. Plasmas 15 056305)), is evaluated by means of parametric 1D simulations with artificially reduced reactivity. SI designs scaled as in Atzeni et al (2013 New J. Phys. 15 045004) are found to have nearly the same ITF*. For a given target, such ITF* increases with implosion velocity and laser spike power. A gain curve with a prescribed ITF* can then be simply generated by upscaling a reference target with that value of ITF*. An interesting option is scaling in size by reducing the implosion velocity to keep the ratio of implosion velocity to self-ignition velocity constant. At a given total laser energy, targets with higher ITF* are driven to higher implosion velocity and achieve a somewhat lower gain. However, a 1D gain higher than 100 is achieved at an (incident) energy below 1 MJ, an implosion velocity below 300 km s −1 and a peak incident power below 400 TW. 2D simulations of mispositioned targets show that targets with a higher ITF* indeed tolerate larger displacements. (paper)
Polar Direct Drive-Ignition at 1 MJ
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Skupsky, S.; Craxton, R.S.; Marshall, F.J.; Betti, R.; Collins, T.J.B.; Epstein, R.; Goncharov, V.N.; Igumenshchev, I.V.; Marozas, J.A.; McKenty, P.W.; Radha, P.B.; Kilkenny, J.D.; Meyerhofer, D.D.; Sangster, T.C.; McCrory, R.L.
2006-01-01
Target designs to achieve direct-drive ignition on the NIF using the x-ray-drive beam configuration are examined. This approach, known as polar direct drive (PDD), achieves the required irradiation uniformity by repointing some of the beams toward the target equator, and by increasing the laser intensity at the equator to compensate for the reduced laser coupling from oblique irradiation. Techniques to increase the equatorial intensity can include using phase plates that produce elliptical spot shapes, increasing the power in beams directed toward the equator, and using a ring offset from the equator to redirect rays toward the target normal. The requirements for beam pointing, power balance, single-beam smoothing, and inner-ice-surface roughness are examined. Designs with an incident laser energy of 1.0 MJ are presented. The simulations use the 2-D hydrocode DRACO with 3-D ray trace to model the laser irradiation and Monte Carlo alpha particle transport to model the thermonuclear burn
High-contrast laser acceleration of relativistic electrons in solid cone-wire targets
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Higginson, D. P. [Univ. of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Link, A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Sawada, H. [Univ. of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Wilks, S. C. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Chawla, S. R. [Univ. of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Chen, C. D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Jarrott, L. C. [Univ. of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Flippo, K. A. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); McLean, H. S. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Patel, P. K. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Perez, F. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Beg, F. N. [Univ. of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Bartal, T. [Univ. of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Wei, M. S. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)
2015-12-31
Optimization of electron coupling into small solid angles is of extreme importance to applications, such as Fast Ignition, that require maximum electron energy deposition within a small volume. To optimize this coupling, we use the ultra-high-contrast Trident laser, which remains below intensity of 1011 W/cm2 until < 0.1 ns before the main pulse, while still attaining high-energy, 75 J, and peak intensity of 5 x 1019 W/cm2. Using a cone-wire target, we find that the coupling into the 40 μm diameter wire is increased by a factor of 2.7x over the low-contrast Titan laser at similar peak intensity. Full-scale simulations are used to model the laser interaction and quantitatively reproduce the experimental results. These show that increase in coupling is due to both a closer interaction, as well as the reduction of laser filamentation and self-focusing.
X-ray Spectroscopic Characterization of Shock-Ignition-Relevant plasmas
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Michal Šmíd
2013-01-01
Full Text Available Experiments with multilayer plastic/Cu targets performed at a PALS laser system aimed at the study of matter at conditions relevant to a shock ignition ICF scheme, and, in particular, at the investigation of hot electrons generation. Plasma temperature and density were obtained using high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy. 2D-spatially resolved quasi–monochromatic imaging was observing the hot electrons via fluorescence K emission in the copper tracer layer. Found values of plasma temperature 690 ± 10 eV, electron density 3 × 1022 cm-3 and the effective energy of hot electrons 45 ± 20 keV demonstrate the potential of X-ray methods in the characterization of the shock ignition environmental conditions.
Magnetic field generation during intense laser channelling in underdense plasma
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Smyth, A. G.; Sarri, G.; Doria, D.; Kar, S.; Borghesi, M. [School of Mathematics and Physics, The Queen' s University of Belfast, University Road, Belfast BT7 1NN (United Kingdom); Vranic, M.; Guillaume, E.; Silva, L. O.; Vieira, J. [GoLP/IPFN, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon (Portugal); Amano, Y.; Habara, H.; Tanaka, K. A. [Graduate School of Engineering Osaka University. Suita, Osaka 5650871 (Japan); Heathcote, R.; Norreys, P. A. [STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxon OX1 0Qx (United Kingdom); Hicks, G.; Najmudin, Z.; Nakamura, H. [Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BZ (United Kingdom)
2016-06-15
Channel formation during the propagation of a high-energy (120 J) and long duration (30 ps) laser pulse through an underdense deuterium plasma has been spatially and temporally resolved via means of a proton imaging technique, with intrinsic resolutions of a few μm and a few ps, respectively. Conclusive proof is provided that strong azimuthally symmetric magnetic fields with a strength of around 0.5 MG are created inside the channel, consistent with the generation of a collimated beam of relativistic electrons. The inferred electron beam characteristics may have implications for the cone-free fast-ignition scheme of inertial confinement fusion.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hudson, L.T.; Seely, J.F.
2010-01-01
A formidable array of advanced laser systems are emerging that produce extreme states of light and matter. By irradiating solid and gaseous targets with lasers of increasing energy densities, new physical regimes of radiation effects are being explored for the first time in controlled laboratory settings. One result that is being accomplished or pursued using a variety of techniques, is the realization of novel sources of X-rays with unprecedented characteristics and light-matter interactions, the mechanisms of which are in many cases still being elucidated. Examples include the megajoule class of laser-produced plasmas designed in pursuit of alternative-energy and security applications and the petawatt class of lasers used for fast ignition and X-ray radiographic applications such as medical imaging and real-time imaging of plasma hydrodynamics. As these technologies mature, increased emphasis will need to be placed on advanced instrumentation and diagnostic metrology to characterize the spectra, time structure, and absolute brightness of X-rays emitted by these unconventional sources. Such customized and absolutely calibrated measurement tools will serve as an enabling technology that can help in assessing the overall system performance and progress, as well as identification of the underlying interaction mechanisms of interest to basic and applied strong-field and high-energy-density science.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kong, Hong Jin
2008-01-01
Laser fusion energy (LFE) is well known as one of the promising sources if clean energy for mankind. Laser fusion researches have been actively progressed, since Japan and the Soviet Union as well as USA developed ultrahigh power lasers at the beginning of 1970s. At present in USA, NIF (National Ignition Facility), which is the largest laser fusion facility in the world, is under construction and will be completed in 2008. Japan as a leader of the laser fusion research has developed a high energy and high power laser system, Gekko XII, and is under contemplation of FIREX projects for the fast ignition. China also has SG I, II lasers for performing the fusion research, and SG III is under construction as a next step. France is also constructing LMJ (Laser countries, many other developed countries in Europe, such as Russia, Germany, UK, and so on, have their own high energy laser systems for the fusion research. In Korea, the high power laser development started with SinMyung laser in KAIST in 1994, and KLF (KAERI Laser Facility) of KAERI was recently completed in 2007. For the practical use of laser fusion energy, the laser driver should be operated with a high repetition rate around 10Hz. Yet, current high energy laser systems, Such as NIF, Gekko XII, and etc., can be operated with only several shots per day. Some researchers have developed their own techniques to reduce the thermal loads of the laser material, by using laser diodes as pump sources and ceramic laser materials with high thermal energy scaling up for the real fusion driver. For this reason, H. J. Kong et al. proposed the beam combination laser system using stimulated Brillouin scattering phase conjugate mirrors (SBS PCMs) for a fusion driver. Proposed beam combination has many advantages for energy scaling up; it is composed by simple optical systems with small amount of components, there is no interaction between neighbored sub beams, the SBS PCMs can be used for a high energy beam reflection with
National Ignition Facility system design requirements conventional facilities SDR001
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hands, J.
1996-01-01
This System Design Requirements (SDR) document specifies the functions to be performed and the minimum design requirements for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) site infrastructure and conventional facilities. These consist of the physical site and buildings necessary to house the laser, target chamber, target preparation areas, optics support and ancillary functions
On stimulated scattering of laser light in inertial fusion energy targets
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Nikolic, Lj; Skoric, M.M.; Ishiguro, S.; Sato, T.
2002-11-01
Propagation of a laser light through regions of an underdense plasma is an active research topic in laser fusion. In particular, a large effort has been invested in studies of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) which can reflect laser energy and produce energetic particles to preheat a fusion energy target. Experiments, theory and simulations agree on a complex interplay between various laser-plasma instabilities. By particle-in-cell simulations of an underdense electron-plasma, we have found, apart from the standard SRS, a strong backscattering near the electron plasma frequency at densities beyond the quarter critical. This novel instability, recognized in recent experiments as stimulated laser scattering on a trapped electron-acoustic mode (SEAS), is absent from a classical theory of laser-parametric instabilities. A parametric excitation of SEAS instability, is explained by a three-wave resonant decay of the incident laser light into a standing backscattered wave and a slow trapped electron acoustic wave (ω p ). Large SEAS pulsations, eventually suppressed by relativistic heating of electrons, are observed in our simulations. This phenomenon seems relevant to future hohlraum target and fast ignition experiments. (author)
Reproducibility of hohlraum-driven implosion symmetry on the National Ignition Facility
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kyrala G.A.
2013-11-01
Full Text Available Indirectly driven Symcap capsules are used at the NIF to obtain information about ignition capsule implosion performance, in particular shape. Symcaps replace the cryogenic fuel layer with an equivalent ablator mass and can be similarly diagnosed. Symcaps are good symmetry surrogates to an ignition capsule after the peak of the drive, radiation-hydrodynamics simulations predict that doping of the symcaps vary the behavior of the implosion. We compare the equatorial shapes of a symcap doped with Si or Ge, as well as examine the reproducibility of the shape measurement using two symcaps with the same hohlraum and laser conditions.
The National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hogan, W.J.; Moses, E.; Warner, B.; Sorem, M.; Soures, J.M.
2001-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the largest construction project ever undertaken at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). NIF consists of 192 forty-centimeter-square laser beams and a 10-m-diameter target chamber. NIF is being designed and built by an LLNL-led team from Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, the University of Rochester, and LLNL. Physical construction began in 1997. The Laser and Target Area Building and the Optics Assembly Building were the first major construction activities, and despite several unforeseen obstacles, the buildings are now 92% complete and have been done on time and within cost. Prototype component development and testing has proceeded in parallel. Optics vendors have installed full-scale production lines and have done prototype production runs. The assembly and integration of the beampath infrastructure has been reconsidered and a new approach has been developed. This paper will discuss the status of the NIF project and the plans for completion. (author)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Malka, G.; Courtois, C.; Cros, B.; Matthieussent, G. [Paris-11 Univ., 91 - Orsay (France). Lab. de Physique des Gaz et des Plasmas; Blanchot, N.; Bonnaud, G.; Busquet, M.; Canaud, B.; Desenne, D.; Diskier, L.; Garconnet, J.P.; Louis-Jacquet, M.; Lefebvre, E.; Lours, L.; Mens, A.; Miquel, J.L.; Peyrusse, O.; Rousseaux, C. [CEA/Limeil Valenton, 94 - Villeneuve Saint Georges (France); Borghesi, M.; Gaillard, R.; Mackinnon, A.J.; Willi, O. [Imperial Coll., Plasma Physics Groups, London (United Kingdom); Danson, C.; Neely, D. [Rutherford Appleton Lab., Chilton (United Kingdom); Altenberd, D.; Feurer, T.; Forster, E.; Gibbon, P.; Sauerbray, R.; Teubner, U.; Theobald, W.; Uschmann, I. [Institut fur Optik und Quantenelektronik, Jena (Germany); Amiranoff, F.; Baton, S.; Gremillet, L.; Fuchs, J.; Marques, J.R. [Ecole Polytechnique, Lab. d' Utilisation de Lasers Intenses, CNRS-CEA, 91 - Palaiseau (France); Gallant, P.; Kieffer, J.C.; Pepin, H. [INRS Energie et Materiaux, Quebec (Canada); Adam, J.C.; Heron, A.; Laval, G.; Mora, P. [Ecole Polytechnique, 91 - Palaiseau (France). Centre de Physique Theorique
2000-07-01
We present an abstract of ultra short and intense laser plasma interaction experiments which were performed with the 100 TW P102 laser facility at CEA/Limeil-Valenton. Laser interaction at relativistic regime (I>10{sup 18} W/cm{sup 2}) has been investigated with different 'targets': overdense plasma, underdense plasma, free electrons and capillary tube. These experiments are of great interests for the Fast Ignitor concept and the Laser Particle Accelerator. (authors)
The first target experiments on the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Landen, O.L.; Glenzer, S.H.; Froula, D.H.; Dewald, E.L.; Suter, L.J.; Schneider, M.B.; Hinkel, D.E.; Fernandez, J.C.; Kline, J.L.; Goldman, S.R.; Braun, D.G.; Celliers, P.M.; Moon, S.J.; Robey, H.S.; Lanier, N.E.; Glendinning, S.G.; Blue, B.E.; Wilde, B.H.; Jones, O.S.; Schein, J.; Divol, L.; Kalantar, D.H.; Campbell, K.M.; Holder, J.P.; McDonald, J.W.; Niemann, C.; Mackinnon, A.J.; Collins, G.W.; Bradley, D.K.; Eggert, J.H.; Hicks, D.G.; Gregori, G.; Kirkwood, R.K.; Young, B.K.; Foster, J.M.; Hansen, J.F.; Perry, T.S.; Munro, D.H.; Baldis, H.A.; Grim, G.P.; Heeter, R.F.; Hegelich, M.B.; Montgomery, D.S.; Rochau, G.A.; Olson, R.E.; Turner, R.E.; Workman, J.B.; Berger, R.L.; Cohen, B.I.; Kruer, W.L.; Langdon, A.B.; Langer, S.H.; Meezan, N.B.; Rose, H.A.; Still, C.H.; Williams, E.A.; Dodd, E.A.; Edwards, M.J.; Monteil, M.C.; Stevenson, R.M.; Thomas, B.R.; Coker, R.F.; Magelssen, G.R.; Rosen, P.A.; Stry, P.E.; Woods, D.; Weber, S.V.; Young, P.E.; Alvarez, S.; Armstrong, G.; Bahr, R.; Bourgade, G.L.; Bower, D.; Celeste, J.; Chrisp, M.; Compton, S.; Cox, J.; Constantin, C.; Costa, R.; Duncan, J.; Ellis, A.; Emig, J.; Gautier, C.; Greenwood, A.; Griffith, R.; Holdner, F.; Holtmeier, G.; Hargrove, D.; James, T.; Kamperschroer, J.; Kimbrough, J.; Landon, M.; Lee, F.D.; Malone, R.; May, M.; Montelongo, S.; Moody, J.; Ng, E.; Nikitin, A.; Pellinen, D.; Piston, K.; Poole, M.; Rekow, V.; Rhodes, M.; Shepherd, R.; Shiromizu, S.; Voloshin, D.; Warrick, A.; Watts, P.; Weber, F.; Young, P.; Arnold, P.
2007-01-01
A first set of shock timing, laser-plasma interaction, hohlraum energetics and hydrodynamic experiments have been performed using the first 4 beams of the National Ignition Facility (NIF), in support of indirect drive Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High Energy Density Physics (HEDP). In parallel, a robust set of optical and X-ray spectrometers, interferometer, calorimeters and imagers have been activated. The experiments have been undertaken with laser powers and energies of up to 8 TW and 17 kJ in flattop and shaped 1-9 ns pulses focused with various beam smoothing options. The experiments have demonstrated excellent agreement between measured and predicted laser-target coupling in foils and hohlraums, even when extended to a longer pulse regime unattainable at previous laser facilities, validated the predicted effects of beam smoothing on intense laser beam propagation in long scale-length plasmas and begun to test 3-dimensional codes by extending the study of laser driven hydrodynamic jets to 3-dimensional geometries. (authors)
The first target experiments on the National Ignition Facility
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Landen, O.L.; Glenzer, S.H.; Froula, D.H.; Dewald, E.L.; Suter, L.J.; Schneider, M.B.; Hinkel, D.E.; Fernandez, J.C.; Kline, J.L.; Goldman, S.R.; Braun, D.G.; Celliers, P.M.; Moon, S.J.; Robey, H.S.; Lanier, N.E.; Glendinning, S.G.; Blue, B.E.; Wilde, B.H.; Jones, O.S.; Schein, J.; Divol, L.; Kalantar, D.H.; Campbell, K.M.; Holder, J.P.; McDonald, J.W.; Niemann, C.; Mackinnon, A.J.; Collins, G.W.; Bradley, D.K.; Eggert, J.H.; Hicks, D.G.; Gregori, G.; Kirkwood, R.K.; Young, B.K.; Foster, J.M.; Hansen, J.F.; Perry, T.S.; Munro, D.H.; Baldis, H.A.; Grim, G.P.; Heeter, R.F.; Hegelich, M.B.; Montgomery, D.S.; Rochau, G.A.; Olson, R.E.; Turner, R.E.; Workman, J.B.; Berger, R.L.; Cohen, B.I.; Kruer, W.L.; Langdon, A.B.; Langer, S.H.; Meezan, N.B.; Rose, H.A.; Still, C.H.; Williams, E.A.; Dodd, E.A.; Edwards, M.J.; Monteil, M.C.; Stevenson, R.M.; Thomas, B.R.; Coker, R.F.; Magelssen, G.R.; Rosen, P.A.; Stry, P.E.; Woods, D.; Weber, S.V.; Young, P.E.; Alvarez, S.; Armstrong, G.; Bahr, R.; Bourgade, G.L.; Bower, D.; Celeste, J.; Chrisp, M.; Compton, S.; Cox, J.; Constantin, C.; Costa, R.; Duncan, J.; Ellis, A.; Emig, J.; Gautier, C.; Greenwood, A.; Griffith, R.; Holdner, F.; Holtmeier, G.; Hargrove, D.; James, T.; Kamperschroer, J.; Kimbrough, J.; Landon, M.; Lee, F.D.; Malone, R.; May, M.; Montelongo, S.; Moody, J.; Ng, E.; Nikitin, A.; Pellinen, D.; Piston, K.; Poole, M.; Rekow, V.; Rhodes, M.; Shepherd, R.; Shiromizu, S.; Voloshin, D.; Warrick, A.; Watts, P.; Weber, F.; Young, P.; Arnold, P
2007-08-15
A first set of shock timing, laser-plasma interaction, hohlraum energetics and hydrodynamic experiments have been performed using the first 4 beams of the National Ignition Facility (NIF), in support of indirect drive Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High Energy Density Physics (HEDP). In parallel, a robust set of optical and X-ray spectrometers, interferometer, calorimeters and imagers have been activated. The experiments have been undertaken with laser powers and energies of up to 8 TW and 17 kJ in flattop and shaped 1-9 ns pulses focused with various beam smoothing options. The experiments have demonstrated excellent agreement between measured and predicted laser-target coupling in foils and hohlraums, even when extended to a longer pulse regime unattainable at previous laser facilities, validated the predicted effects of beam smoothing on intense laser beam propagation in long scale-length plasmas and begun to test 3-dimensional codes by extending the study of laser driven hydrodynamic jets to 3-dimensional geometries. (authors)
Super fast physical-random number generation using laser diode frequency noises
Ushiki, Tetsuro; Doi, Kohei; Maehara, Shinya; Sato, Takashi; Ohkawa, Masashi; Ohdaira, Yasuo
2011-02-01
Random numbers can be classified as either pseudo- or physical-random in character. Pseudo-random numbers' periodicity renders them inappropriate for use in cryptographic applications, but naturally-generated physical-random numbers have no calculable periodicity, thereby making them ideally-suited to the task. The laser diode naturally produces a wideband "noise" signal that is believed to have tremendous capacity and great promise, for the rapid generation of physical-random numbers for use in cryptographic applications. We measured a laser diode's output, at a fast photo detector and generated physical-random numbers from frequency noises. We then identified and evaluated the binary-number-line's statistical properties. The result shows that physical-random number generation, at speeds as high as 40Gbps, is obtainable, using the laser diode's frequency noise characteristic.
Target experimental area and systems of the U.S. National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tobin, M; Van Wonterghem, B; MacGowan, B J; Hibbard, W; Kalantar, D; Lee, F D; Pittenger, L; Wong, K
1999-01-01
One of the major goals of the US National Ignition Facility is the demonstration of laser driven fusion ignition and burn of targets by inertial confinement and provide capability for a wide variety of high energy density physics experiments. The NIF target area houses the optical systems required to focus the 192 beamlets to a target precisely positioned at the center of the 10 meter diameter, 10-cm thick aluminum target chamber. The chamber serves as mounting surface for the 48 final optics assemblies, the target alignment and positioning equipment, and the target diagnostics. The internal surfaces of the chamber are protected by louvered steel beam dumps. The target area also provides the necessary shielding against target emission and environmental protection equipment. Despite its complexity, the design provides the flexibility to accommodate the needs of the various NIF user groups, such as direct and indirect drive irradiation geometries, modular final optics design, capability to handle cryogenic targets, and easily re-configurable diagnostic instruments. Efficient target area operations are ensured by using line-replaceable designs for systems requiring frequent inspection, maintenance and reconfiguration, such as the final optics, debris shields, phase plates and the diagnostic instruments. A precision diagnostic instrument manipulator (DIMS) allows fast removal and precise repositioning of diagnostic instruments. In addition the authors describe several activities to enhance the target chamber availability, such as the target debris mitigation, the use of standard experimental configurations and the development of smart shot operations planning tools
Experimental study of fast electron transport in dense plasmas
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Vaisseau, Xavier
2014-01-01
The framework of this PhD thesis is the inertial confinement fusion for energy production, in the context of the electron fast ignition scheme. The work consists in a characterization of the transport mechanisms of fast electrons, driven by intense laser pulses (10 19 - 10 20 W/cm 2 ) in both cold-solid and warm-dense matter. The first goal was to study the propagation of a fast electron beam, characterized by a current density ≥ 10 11 A/cm 2 , in aluminum targets initially heated close to the Fermi temperature by a counter-propagative planar shock. The planar compression geometry allowed us to discriminate the energy losses due to the resistive mechanisms from collisional ones by comparing solid and compressed targets of the same initial areal densities. We observed for the first time a significant increase of resistive energy losses in heated aluminum samples. The confrontation of the experimental data with the simulations, including a complete characterization of the electron source, of the target compression and of the fast electron transport, allowed us to study the time-evolution of the material resistivity. The estimated resistive electron stopping power in a warm-compressed target is of the same order as the collisional one. We studied the transport of the fast electrons generated in the interaction of a high-contrast laser pulse with a hollow copper cone, buried into a carbon layer, compressed by a counter-propagative planar shock. A X-ray imaging system allowed us to visualize the coupling of the laser pulse with the cone at different moments of the compression. This diagnostic, giving access to the fast electron spatial distribution, showed a fast electron generation in the entire volume of the cone for late times of compression, after shock breakout from the inner cone tip. For earlier times, the interaction at a high-contrast ensured that the source was contained within the cone tip, and the fast electron beam was collimated into the target depth by
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hery Suyanto
2016-08-01
Full Text Available A time-resolved spectroscopic study is performed on the enhancement signals of He gas plasma emission using nanosecond (ns and picosecond (ps lasers in an orthogonal configuration. The ns laser is used for the He gas plasma generation and the ps laser is employed for the ejection of fast electrons from a metal target, which serves to excite subsequently the He atoms in the plasma. The study is focused on the most dominant He I 587.6 nm and He I 667.8 nm emission lines suggested to be responsible for the He-assisted excitation (HAE mechanism. The time-dependent intensity enhancements induced by the fast electrons generated with a series of delayed ps laser ablations are deduced from the intensity time profiles of both He emission lines. The results clearly lead to the conclusion that the metastable excited triplet He atoms are actually the species overwhelmingly produced during the recombination process in the ns laser-induced He gas plasma. These metastable He atoms are believed to serve as the major energy source for the delayed excitation of analyte atoms in ns laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS using He ambient gas.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Suyanto, Hery [Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Udayana University, Kampus Bukit Jimbaran, Denpasar 80361, Bali (Indonesia); Pardede, Marincan [Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Pelita Harapan, 1100 M.H. Thamrin Boulevard, Lippo Village, Tangerang 15811 (Indonesia); Hedwig, Rinda [Department of Computer Engineering, Bina Nusantara University, 9 K.H. Syahdan, Jakarta 14810 (Indonesia); Marpaung, Alion Mangasi [Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Jakarta State University, Rawamangun, Jakarta 12440 (Indonesia); Ramli, Muliadi [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Syiah Kuala University, Darussalam, Banda Aceh 23111, NAD (Indonesia); Lie, Tjung Jie; Kurniawan, Koo Hendrik, E-mail: kurnia18@cbn.net.id [Research Center of Maju Makmur Mandiri Foundation, 40 Srengseng Raya, Kembangan, Jakarta Barat 11630 (Indonesia); Abdulmadjid, Syahrun Nur [Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Syiah Kuala University, Darussalam, Banda Aceh 23111, NAD (Indonesia); Tjia, May On [Research Center of Maju Makmur Mandiri Foundation, 40 Srengseng Raya, Kembangan, Jakarta Barat 11630 (Indonesia); Physics of Magnetism and Photonics Group, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Bandung Institute of Technology, 10 Ganesha,Bandung 40132 (Indonesia); Kagawa, Kiichiro [Research Center of Maju Makmur Mandiri Foundation, 40 Srengseng Raya, Kembangan, Jakarta Barat 11630 (Indonesia); Fukui Science Education Academy, Takagi Chuo 2 chome, Fukui 910-0804 (Japan)
2016-08-15
A time-resolved spectroscopic study is performed on the enhancement signals of He gas plasma emission using nanosecond (ns) and picosecond (ps) lasers in an orthogonal configuration. The ns laser is used for the He gas plasma generation and the ps laser is employed for the ejection of fast electrons from a metal target, which serves to excite subsequently the He atoms in the plasma. The study is focused on the most dominant He I 587.6 nm and He I 667.8 nm emission lines suggested to be responsible for the He-assisted excitation (HAE) mechanism. The time-dependent intensity enhancements induced by the fast electrons generated with a series of delayed ps laser ablations are deduced from the intensity time profiles of both He emission lines. The results clearly lead to the conclusion that the metastable excited triplet He atoms are actually the species overwhelmingly produced during the recombination process in the ns laser-induced He gas plasma. These metastable He atoms are believed to serve as the major energy source for the delayed excitation of analyte atoms in ns laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) using He ambient gas.
National Ignition Facility Control and Information System Operational Tools
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Marshall, C.D.; Beeler, R.G.; Bowers, G.A.; Carey, R.W.; Fisher, J.M.; Foxworthy, C.B.; Frazier, T.M.; Mathisen, D.G.; Lagin, L.J.; Rhodes, J.J.; Shaw, M.J.
2009-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Livermore, California, is the world's highest-energy laser fusion system and one of the premier large scale scientific projects in the United States. The system is designed to setup and fire a laser shot to a fusion ignition or high energy density target at rates up to a shot every 4 hours. NIF has 192 laser beams delivering up to 1.8 MJ of energy to a ∼2 mm target that is planned to produce >100 billion atm of pressure and temperatures of >100 million degrees centigrade. NIF is housed in a ten-story building footprint the size of three football fields as shown in Fig. 1. Commissioning was recently completed and NIF will be formally dedicated at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on May 29, 2009. The control system has 60,000 hardware controls points and employs 2 million lines of control system code. The control room has highly automated equipment setup prior to firing laser system shots. This automation has a data driven implementation that is conducive to dynamic modification and optimization depending on the shot goals defined by the end user experimenters. NIF has extensive facility machine history and infrastructure maintenance workflow tools both under development and deployed. An extensive operational tools suite has been developed to support facility operations including experimental shot setup, machine readiness, machine health and safety, and machine history. The following paragraphs discuss the current state and future upgrades to these four categories of operational tools.
STUDENT AWARD FINALIST: Oxygen Pathways in Streamer Discharge for Transient Plasma Ignition
Pendleton, S. J.; Bowman, S.; Singleton, D.; Watrous, J.; Carter, C.; Lempert, W.; Gundersen, M. A.
2011-10-01
The use of streamers for the ignition of fuels, also known as transient plasma ignition (TPI), has been shown in a variety of engines to improve combustion through decreased ignition delay, increased lean burn capability and increased energy release relative to conventional spark ignition. The mechanisms behind these improvements, however, remain poorly understood. Temperature measurements by optical emission spectroscopy demonstrate that ignition by TPI is a nonthermal process, and thus is almost entirely dependent on the production and presence of electron impact-created active species in the discharge afterglow. Of particular interest are active oxygen species due to their relatively long lifetimes at high pressures and the pivotal role they play in combustion reactions. In order to elucidate the oxygen pathways, here we report the investigation of the temporal evolution of the populations of atomic oxygen and ozone by use of two-photon absorption laser induced fluorescence (TALIF) and UV absorption, respectively. Experimental results are presented and compared to kinetic modeling of the streamers. Future experiments are proposed to better understand the physics behind TPI. Supported by NSF, AFOSR, NumerEx-ONR, AFRL-WPAFB.
Hunt, Emily M.; Pantoya, Michelle L.
2005-08-01
Ignition behaviors associated with nano- and micron-scale particulate composite thermites were studied experimentally and modeled theoretically. The experimental analysis utilized a CO2 laser ignition apparatus to ignite the front surface of compacted nickel (Ni) and aluminum (Al) pellets at varying heating rates. Ignition delay time and ignition temperature as a function of both Ni and Al particle size were measured using high-speed imaging and microthermocouples. The apparent activation energy was determined from this data using a Kissinger isoconversion method. This study shows that the activation energy is significantly lower for nano- compared with micron-scale particulate media (i.e., as low as 17.4 compared with 162.5kJ /mol, respectively). Two separate Arrhenius-type mathematical models were developed that describe ignition in the nano- and the micron-composite thermites. The micron-composite model is based on a heat balance while the nanocomposite model incorporates the energy of phase transformation in the alumina shell theorized to be an initiating step in the solid-solid diffusion reaction and uniquely appreciable in nanoparticle media. These models were found to describe the ignition of the Ni /Al alloy for a wide range of heating rates.
Multi-point laser spark generation for internal combustion engines using a spatial light modulator
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lyon, Elliott; Kuang, Zheng; Dearden, Geoff; Cheng, Hua; Page, Vincent; Shenton, Tom
2014-01-01
This paper reports on a technique demonstrating for the first time successful multi-point laser-induced spark generation, which is variable in three dimensions and derived from a single laser beam. Previous work on laser ignition of internal combustion engines found that simultaneously igniting in more than one location resulted in more stable and faster combustion – a key potential advantage over conventional spark ignition. However, previous approaches could only generate secondary foci at fixed locations. The work reported here is an experimental technique for multi-point laser ignition, in which several sparks with arbitrary spatial location in three dimensions are created by variable diffraction of a pulsed single laser beam source and transmission through an optical plug. The diffractive multi-beam arrays and patterns are generated using a spatial light modulator on which computer generated holograms are displayed. A gratings and lenses algorithm is used to accurately modulate the phase of the input laser beam and create multi-beam output. The underpinning theory, experimental arrangement and results obtained are presented and discussed. (paper)
Acceleration to High Velocities and Heating by Impact Using Nike KrF laser
Karasik, Max
2009-11-01
Shock ignition, impact ignition, as well as higher intensity conventional hot spot ignition designs reduce driver energy requirement by pushing the envelope in laser intensity and target implosion velocities. This talk will describe experiments that for the first time reach target velocities in the range of 700 -- 1000 km/s. The highly accelerated planar foils of deuterated polystyrene, some with bromine doping, are made to collide with a witness foil to produce extreme shock pressures and result in heating of matter to thermonuclear temperatures. Target acceleration and collision are diagnosed using large field of view monochromatic x-ray imaging with backlighting as well as bremsstrahlung self-emission. The impact conditions are diagnosed using DD fusion neutron yield, with over 10^6 neutrons produced during the collision. Time-of-flight neutron detectors are used to measure the ion temperature upon impact, which reaches 2 -- 3 keV. The experiments are performed on the Nike facility, reconfigured specifically for high intensity operation. The short wavelength and high illumination uniformity of Nike KrF laser uniquely enable access to this new parameter regime. Intensities of (0.4 -- 1.2) x 10^15 W/cm^2 and pulse durations of 0.4 -- 2 ns were utilized. Modeling of the target acceleration, collision, and neutron production is performed using the FAST3D radiation hydrodynamics code with a non-LTE radiation model. Work is supported by US Department of Energy.
Inertial confinement fusion target insertion concepts for the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Laughon, G.J.; Schultz, K.R.
1996-01-01
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) will be used to demonstrate fusion ignition in a laboratory environment in order to support development of inertial fusion as a potential fusion energy source for civilian use. However, target insertion must first be addressed before inertial fusion can become a practical energy source. Since target insertion systems currently utilized are not suitable for multiple shots in quick succession, insertion concepts involving free-falling and artificially accelerated targets are developed and evaluated against a set of predetermined guidelines. It is shown that a system involving a fast retraction positioner would be suitable. 5 refs., 4 figs
Recent progress in ignition fusion research on the National Ignition Facility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Leeper, Ramon J.
2011-01-01
This paper will review the ignition fusion research program that is currently being carried out on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This work is being conducted under the auspices of the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) that is a broad collaboration of national laboratories and universities that together have developed a detailed research plan whose goal is ignition in the laboratory. The paper will begin with a description of the NIF facility and associated experimental facilities. The paper will then focus on the ignition target and hohlraum designs that will be tested in the first ignition attempts on NIF. The next topic to be introduced will be a description of the diagnostic suite that has been developed for the initial ignition experiments on NIF. The paper will then describe the experimental results that were obtained in experiments conducted during the fall of 2009 on NIF. Finally, the paper will end with a description of the detailed experimental plans that have been developed for the first ignition campaign that will begin later this year. (author)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Key, M.H.; Campbell, E.M.; Cowan, T.E.; Hatchett, S.P.; Henry, E.A.; Koch, J.A.; Landgon, A.B.; Lasinski, B.F.; Lee, R.W.; MacKinnon, A.; Offenberger, A.; Pennington, D.M.; Perry, M.D.; Sangster, T.C.; Yasuike, K.; Snavely, R.; Roth, M.; Phillips, T.W.; Stoyer, M.A.; Wilks, S.C.; Singh, M.S.
1999-01-01
The interaction of laser radiation with solid targets at 1 petawatt power and intensity up to 3x10 20 Wcm -2 has been studied with emphasis on relativistic electrons and high energy ions. Secondary effects including Bremsstrahlung radiation, nuclear interactions and heating have been characterized. A collimated beam of protons with up to 55 MeV energy is emitted normal to the rear surface of thin targets and its characteristics and origin are discussed. The significance of the data for radiography, fast ignition and proton beam applications is summarized
Design and fabrication of foam-insulated cryogenic target for wet-wall laser fusion reactor
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Norimatsu, T.; Takeda, T.; Nagai, K.; Mima, K.; Yamanaka, T.
2003-01-01
A foam insulated cryogenic target was proposed for use in a future laser fusion reactor with a wet wall. This scheme can protect the solid DT layer from melting due to surface heating by adsorption of metal vapor without significant reduction in the target gain. Design spaces for the injection velocity and the acceptable vapor pressure in the reactor are discussed. Basic technology to fabricate such structure was demonstrated by emulsion process. Concept of a cryogenic fast-ignition target with a gold guiding cone was proposed together with direct injection filling of liquid DT. (author)
Dependence of core heating properties on heating pulse duration and intensity
Johzaki, Tomoyuki; Nagatomo, Hideo; Sunahara, Atsushi; Cai, Hongbo; Sakagami, Hitoshi; Mima, Kunioki
2009-11-01
In the cone-guiding fast ignition, an imploded core is heated by the energy transport of fast electrons generated by the ultra-intense short-pulse laser at the cone inner surface. The fast core heating (˜800eV) has been demonstrated at integrated experiments with GEKKO-XII+ PW laser systems. As the next step, experiments using more powerful heating laser, FIREX, have been started at ILE, Osaka university. In FIREX-I (phase-I of FIREX), our goal is the demonstration of efficient core heating (Ti ˜ 5keV) using a newly developed 10kJ LFEX laser. In the first integrated experiments, the LFEX laser is operated with low energy mode (˜0.5kJ/4ps) to validate the previous GEKKO+PW experiments. Between the two experiments, though the laser energy is similar (˜0.5kJ), the duration is different; ˜0.5ps in the PW laser and ˜ 4ps in the LFEX laser. In this paper, we evaluate the dependence of core heating properties on the heating pulse duration on the basis of integrated simulations with FI^3 (Fast Ignition Integrated Interconnecting) code system.