Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
A. R. Christopherson, O. A. Hurricane, C. Weber, A. Kritcher, R. Nora, J. Salmonson, R. Tran, J. Milovich, S. Maclaren, D. Hinkel, R. Betti
Summary: A recent experiment conducted on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved a fusion yield output of 1.3 MJ from approximately 220 kJ of absorbed x-ray energy, demonstrating significant progress in laser driven inertial confinement fusion.
PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Yu K. Kurilenkov, A. Oginov, V. P. Tarakanov, S. Yu Gus'kov, I. S. Samoylov
Summary: The experiment demonstrated results of proton-boron aneutronic fusion in a single miniature device with electrodynamic plasma confinement. The experiment achieved a total yield of about 5 x 10(4)/ 4 pi alpha particles during pulse-periodic operation.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Baonian Wan, Guosheng Xu
Summary: Advancements in tokamak physics and technology over the past 20 years have paved the way for magnetic confinement fusion research to move towards a steady-state burning plasma.
NATIONAL SCIENCE REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
E. P. Hartouni, A. S. Moore, A. J. Crilly, B. D. Appelbe, P. A. Amendt, K. L. Baker, D. T. Casey, D. S. Clark, T. Doppner, M. J. Eckart, J. E. Field, M. Gatu-Johnson, G. P. Grim, R. Hatarik, J. Jeet, S. M. Kerr, J. Kilkenny, A. L. Kritcher, K. D. Meaney, J. L. Milovich, D. H. Munro, R. C. Nora, A. E. Pak, J. E. Ralph, H. F. Robey, J. S. Ross, D. J. Schlossberg, S. M. Sepke, B. K. Spears, C. Young, A. B. Zylstra
Summary: Inertial confinement fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility aim to achieve sustained thermonuclear burn for energy generation. This study investigates the departure from hydrodynamic behavior when fusion reactions become the primary source of plasma heating. The relationship between ion temperature and mean ion kinetic energy is analyzed using neutron spectrum moments.
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
T. Nagayama, M. A. Schaeuble, J. R. Fein, G. P. Loisel, M. Wu, D. C. Mayes, S. B. Hansen, P. F. Knapp, T. J. Webb, J. Schwarz, R. A. Vesey
Summary: Accurate understanding of x-ray diagnostic modeling is crucial for interpreting high-energy-density experiments and testing simulations. Past individual treatments have hindered universal diagnostic understanding. A general formula for modeling non-focusing x-ray diagnostics has been derived, accounting naturally for crystal broadening. The new model is recommended for developing a unified picture and providing consistent treatment over multiple x-ray diagnostics.
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
S. Yu. Gus'kov, P. A. Kuchugov, R. A. Yakhin
Summary: The study presents theory and computational results on the generation and propagation of a plane laser-driven shock wave in a substance with density lower than the critical plasma density. A model is developed to explain the phenomenon, which involves the formation of pressure behind the front of the laser-driven ionization wave. The results show dependencies of shock wave duration and distance on the intensity and radiation wavelength of the impacting laser pulse, as well as on the density of the target substance.
PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Rui Jin, Zoltan Jurek, Robin Santra, Sang-Kil Son
Summary: This study incorporates a recently proposed treatment of transient ionization potential depression (IPD) into plasma dynamics simulations, and demonstrates the importance of the IPD effects in theoretical modeling of dense plasmas by comparing two simulations.
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Mikhail A. Belyaev
Summary: Hyperbolic heat conduction is an extension of standard Spitzer-Harm heat conduction that includes a term proportional to the time derivative of the heat flux. A causal explicit numerical algorithm is presented for solving the nonlinear hyperbolic heat conduction equation in an unmagnetized plasma. The algorithm has a linear scaling of the maximum stable timestep with the cell size, enabling practical explicit implementation of heat conduction in high-performance massively parallel plasma codes.
COMPUTER PHYSICS COMMUNICATIONS
(2024)
Article
Optics
G. Cristoforetti, P. Koester, S. Atzeni, D. Batani, S. Fujioka, Y. Hironaka, S. Huller, T. Idesaka, K. Katagiri, K. Kawasaki, R. Kodama, D. Mancelli, Ph. Nicolai, N. Ozaki, A. Schiavi, K. Shigemori, R. Takizawa, T. Tamagawa, D. Tanaka, A. Tentori, Y. Umeda, A. Yogo, L. A. Gizzi
Summary: The interaction between laser and plasma as well as the generation of hot electrons were studied in an experiment relevant to direct-drive inertial confinement fusion. High-energy electrons with temperatures of 20-50 keV were mainly produced by the damping of electron plasma waves driven by two-plasmon decay (TPD). Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) was observed in a near-threshold growth regime and described by an analytical model, indicating a more vigorous growth driven by multiple beams compared to single-beam laser intensity.
HIGH POWER LASER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sergei V. Ryzhkov
Summary: A review of theoretical and experimental studies on the compression and heating of a plasma target in an external magnetic field, known as magneto-inertial fusion (MIF), is presented. MIF is a concept involving fuel magnetization, laser pre-heating, and magnetic implosion for fusion reactions. The analysis focuses on the current state of research on magnetized target implosion and the impact of external magnetic field on plasma parameters and system characteristics. The article also discusses numerical simulation of MIF experiments and highlights two promising areas: plasma jets and laser drivers.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
H. Poole, D. Cao, R. Epstein, I. Golovkin, T. Walton, S. X. Hu, M. Kasim, S. M. Vinko, J. R. Rygg, V. N. Goncharov, G. Gregori, S. P. Regan
Summary: In this study, a feasibility study was conducted to diagnose the temperature, density, and ionization of the compressed DT shell using spatially integrated, spectrally resolved, x-ray Thomson scattering measurements. Synthetic scattering spectra were generated and analyzed, showing that the plasma conditions of compressed DT shells can be resolved.
PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
(2022)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
H. Sio, J. D. Moody, D. D. Ho, B. B. Pollock, C. A. Walsh, B. Lahmann, D. J. Strozzi, G. E. Kemp, W. W. Hsing, A. Crilly, J. P. Chittenden, B. Appelbe
Summary: Diagnosing plasma magnetization in inertial confinement fusion implosions is crucial for understanding the impact of magnetic fields. Secondary DT reactions provide diagnostic signatures for inferring neutron-averaged magnetization. The distribution of magnetically confined DD-triton is anisotropic, leading to anisotropy in the secondary DT neutron spectra.
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
(2021)
Article
Mechanics
A. Bakhsh
Summary: This research investigates the suppression of Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI) of double interfaces in cylindrical geometry through linear analysis. It is found that the exponential increase/decrease in growth rate is related to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, and the strength of magnetic field affects the suppression of instability. Two interfering waves running parallel and anti-parallel to the interfaces transport generated vorticity and cause the perturbed interfaces' growth rate to oscillate over time.
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
T. Yoshimoto, M. Hirose, X. Liu, K. Takayama, T. Adachi, K. Okamura, E. Kadokura, T. Kawakubo, S. Takano
Summary: A novel scheme for fast ion bunch compression in an induction synchrotron is reported, demonstrating effective compression of the beam over 30 turns with a head-to-tail momentum gradient. The proof-of-principle experiment showed a reduction in root mean square bunch length by a factor of 3.5 without appreciable beam loss. This scheme has potential applications in various beam processes, including ion beam heating.
PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Lan Gao, B. F. Kraus, K. W. Hill, M. B. Schneider, A. Christopherson, B. Bachmann, M. Bitter, P. Efthimion, N. Pablant, R. Betti, C. Thomas, D. Thorn, A. G. MacPhee, S. Khan, R. Kauffman, D. Liedahl, H. Chen, D. Bradley, J. Kilkenny, B. Lahmann, E. Stambulchik, Y. Maron
Summary: The evolution of hot spot plasma conditions was measured using high-resolution x-ray spectroscopy. The electron density and temperature of the hot spot were determined by observing Stark broadening and dielectronic satellites in the Kr He?? spectra. The effect of dopants on the hot spot parameters was also revealed.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
S. M. Kerr, D. Rusby, G. J. Williams, K. Meaney, D. J. Schlossberg, A. Aghedo, D. Alessi, J. Ayers, S. Azhar, M. B. Aufderheide, M. W. Bowers, J. D. Bude, H. Chen, G. Cochran, J. Crane, J. M. Di Nicola, D. N. Fittinghoff, P. Fitzsimmons, H. Geppert-Kleinrath, B. Golick, G. P. Grim, A. Haid, M. Hamamoto, R. Heredia, M. Hermann, S. Herriot, M. P. Hill, W. Hoke, D. Kalantar, A. Kemp, Y. Kim, K. LaFortune, N. Lemos, A. Link, R. Lowe-Webb, A. MacPhee, M. Manuel, D. Martinez, M. Mauldin, S. Patankar, L. Pelz, M. A. Prantil, M. Quinn, C. W. Siders, S. Vonhof, P. Wegner, S. Wilks, W. Williams, K. Youngblood, A. J. Mackinnon
Summary: Compound parabolic concentrators (CPCs) are used in the National Ignition Facility Advanced Radiographic Capability (NIF-ARC) laser to enhance electron acceleration and high energy photon production. CPC targets show significant improvement in mean electron energy (>2x) and photon brightness (>10x) compared to flat targets. Photon spectra are characterized for E-photon = 0.5 - 30 MeV using multiple diagnostic techniques, and beam width and pointing variations are provided. Efficient production of MeV photons with doses exceeding 10 rad in air at 1 m for E-photon > 0.5 MeV is observed with CPCs at I-laser asymptotic to 2 x 10^(18) W/cm(2). Promising results are achieved for the development of bright MeV x-ray and particle sources on Petawatt class laser systems. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.
PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
John D. D. Lindl, Steven W. W. Haan, Otto L. L. Landen
Summary: This study extends the evaluation of ignition metrics to consider the effect of hohlraum cooling before peak implosion velocity in radiation-driven implosions. Firstly, the authors present an extension of the results for key hot spot stagnation quantities from a previous study, showing that modified analytic expressions match the experimental results for implosions with and without hohlraum cooling. Secondly, the authors compare the radiation hydrodynamics simulations with an analytic piston model to investigate the sensitivity of hohlraum cooling time and shell radius at peak velocity. Thirdly, they provide a set of ignition metrics that are applicable to a wide range of capsule designs with or without hohlraum cooling before peak implosion velocity.
PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
(2023)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
M. O. Schoelmerich, T. Doppner, C. H. Allen, L. Divol, M. Oliver, D. Haden, M. Biener, J. Crippen, J. Delora-Ellefson, B. Ferguson, D. O. Gericke, A. Goldman, A. Haid, C. Heinbockel, D. Kalantar, Z. Karmiol, G. Kemp, J. Kroll, O. L. Landen, N. Masters, Y. Ping, C. Spindloe, W. Theobald, T. G. White
Summary: A designed x-ray Fresnel diffractive radiography platform is used to measure micron-scale changes in density gradients across materials at the National Ignition Facility. This platform uses 4.75 keV Ti K-shell x-ray emission to heat a plastic cylinder with liquid D-2, allowing for precise tracking of density gradient changes. By using Cu He-alpha x rays and a narrow slit aperture, significant diffraction features are observed, enhancing the sensitivity to density scale length changes at the material interface.
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Daniel T. Casey, Chris R. Weber, Alex B. Zylstra, Charlie J. Cerjan, Ed Hartouni, Matthias Hohenberger, Laurent Divol, David S. Dearborn, Neel Kabadi, Brandon Lahmann, Maria Gatu Johnson, Johan A. Frenje
Summary: The enhancement of fusion reaction rates by electron screening is an important plasma-nuclear effect but has not been experimentally observed. Experiments using inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions may provide an opportunity to observe this effect. The experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) have reached the relevant physical regime, but the expected impacts of plasma screening on nuclear reaction rates are currently too small and need to be increased. This work lays the foundation for future efforts to develop a platform capable of observing plasma electron screening.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
K. L. Baker, C. A. Thomas, O. L. Landen, S. Haan, J. D. Lindl, D. T. Casey, C. Young, R. Nora, O. A. Hurricane, D. A. Callahan, O. Jones, L. Berzak Hopkins, S. Khan, B. K. Spears, S. Le Pape, N. B. Meezan, D. D. Ho, T. Doppner, D. Hinkel, E. L. Dewald, R. Tommasini, M. Hohenberger, C. Weber, D. Clark, D. T. Woods, J. L. Milovich, D. Strozzi, A. Kritcher, H. F. Robey, J. S. Ross, V. A. Smalyuk, P. A. Amendt, B. Bachmann, L. R. Benedetti, R. Bionta, P. M. Celliers, D. Fittinghoff, C. Goyon, R. Hatarik, N. Izumi, M. Gatu Johnson, G. Kyrala, T. Ma, K. Meaney, M. Millot, S. R. Nagel, P. K. Patel, D. Turnbull, P. L. Volegov, C. Yeamans, C. Wilde
Summary: In indirect-drive implosions, increasing laser peak power and radiation drive temperature can improve the core hot spot energy, pressure, and neutron yield. This improvement has been quantified and explained by simple analytic scalings validated by 1D simulations. Extrapolating from existing data, it is possible to achieve a yield of 2-3x10^17 (0.5-0.7 MJ) using only 1.8 MJ of laser energy in a low gas-fill 5.4 mm diameter Hohlraum at the 500 TW National Ignition Facility peak power limit.
PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
V. Geppert-Kleinrath, N. Hoffman, N. Birge, A. DeYoung, D. Fittinghoff, M. Freeman, H. Geppert-Kleinrath, Y. Kim, K. Meaney, G. Morgan, M. Rubery, L. Tafoya, C. Wilde, P. Volegov
Summary: The joint LANL/LLNL nuclear imaging team has successfully obtained gamma-ray images of inertial confinement fusion implosions at the National Ignition Facility. These images provide crucial and difficult-to-acquire information about the confined fuel and ablator assembly. Gamma imaging reveals both direct emission of gamma radiation from DT fusion reactions and gamma rays produced when DT fusion neutrons scatter on carbon nuclei in the remaining ablator.
PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
(2023)
Review
Instruments & Instrumentation
B. Kozioziemski, B. Bachmann, A. Do, R. Tommasini
Summary: Large scale high-energy density science facilities are growing in scale and complexity, with improved driver capabilities pushing the boundaries of temperature, pressure, and densities. X-ray imaging, particularly absorption imaging, has been improved over the last few decades, enabling pico-second imaging with few micron resolutions.
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
(2023)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
B. Reichelt, N. Kabadi, J. Pearcy, M. Gatu Johnson, S. Dannhoff, B. Lahmann, J. Frenje, C. K. Li, G. Sutcliffe, J. Kunimune, R. Petrasso, H. Sio, A. Moore, E. Mariscal, E. Hartouni
Summary: This paper develops a process to determine the x-ray sensitivity of PTOF detectors and relates it to the intrinsic properties of the detector. It is demonstrated that the diamond sample has significant non-homogeneity and the charge collection can be described by a linear model ax + b, where a = 0.63 +/- 0.16 V-1 mm(-1) and b = 0.00 +/- 0.04 V-1. The electron to hole mobility ratio is confirmed to be 1.5 +/- 1.0 and the effective bandgap is 1.8 eV, leading to an increased sensitivity.
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
(2023)
Review
Instruments & Instrumentation
M. Gatu Johnson
Summary: MeV-range ions generated in ICF and high-energy-density physics experiments carry important information, such as fusion reaction yield, implosion areal density, electron temperature, and electric and magnetic fields. This paper reviews the principles of obtaining this information from data and describes the charged particle diagnostic suite available at major US ICF facilities. It discusses time-integrating instruments, time-resolving detectors, and charged-particle radiography setups for measuring ion emission and probing plasma experiments.
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
S. Jiang, O. L. Landen, H. D. Whitley, S. Hamel, R. London, D. S. Clark, P. Sterne, S. B. Hansen, S. X. Hu, G. W. Collins, Y. Ping
Summary: Transport properties of high energy density matter play a crucial role in the evolution of various systems. In this study, we propose an experimental platform utilizing x-ray differential heating and time-resolved refraction-enhanced radiography coupled with a deep neural network to overcome the uncertainties in the warm dense matter regime. We successfully measure the thermal conductivity of CH and Be in this regime and find discrepancies with existing models, suggesting the need for improvement in transport models to enhance the understanding of inertial confinement fusion.
COMMUNICATIONS PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
K. L. Baker, P. A. Amendt, J. S. Ross, V. A. Smalyuk, O. L. Landen, D. D. Ho, S. Khan, S. W. Haan, J. D. Lindl, D. Mariscal, J. L. Milovich, S. Maclaren, Y. Ping, D. J. Strozzi, R. M. Bionta, D. T. Casey, P. M. Celliers, D. N. Fittinghoff, H. Geppert-Kleinrath, V. Geppert-Kleinrath, K. D. Hahn, M. Gatu Johnson, Y. Kim, K. Meaney, M. Millot, R. Nora, P. L. Volegov, C. H. Wilde
Summary: This study reports on indirect-drive implosions driven by a dual conical frustum-shaped hohlraum called frustraum and the tuning campaigns leading up to two layered implosions. The results suggest that increasing the energy absorbed by the capsule at the expense of long coast times makes it more challenging to achieve ignition, and that further reducing coast time is warranted to improve the areal density and make ignition easier to achieve.
PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
B. Lahmann, A. M. Saunders, T. Doppner, J. A. Frenje, S. H. Glenzer, M. Gatu-Johnson, G. Sutcliffe, A. B. Zylstra, R. D. Petrasso
Summary: A platform has been developed to measure accurately the stopping power of high-energy protons in warm dense matter (WDM) plasmas using x-ray Thomson scattering. In this study, stopping power measurements were successfully conducted in both WDM beryllium and boron plasmas. An increase in stopping power was observed in the boron experiments compared to their cold target counterparts, which agreed well with models accounting for the partial ionization of the plasma.
PLASMA PHYSICS AND CONTROLLED FUSION
(2023)