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Fast Ignition in High Energy Density Physics

This article discusses the status of Fast Ignition in high energy density physics, highlighting its advantages, challenges, and potential applications. The article also explores various target schemes and innovative designs, as well as the involvement of different drivers such as ions, heavy ion beams, direct and indirect lasers. The importance of international collaborations in this field is emphasized.

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Fast Ignition in High Energy Density Physics

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  1. Status of Fast Ignition-High Energy Density Physics Joe Kilkenny Director Inertial Fusion Technology General Atomics San Diego, California October 19, 2003 Fusion Power Associates

  2. Ignition and gain curves for multiple target concepts show the advantages of Fast Ignition FI at NIF Intensity ~1014 - 1015 w/cm2 Advanced Indirect Drive on NIF Intensity ~1020 w/cm2 Indirect Drive —Fast ignition potentially gives more gain and lower threshold energy then “Hot Spot” ICF but the science and technology are far less developed

  3. Fast Ignition has attractive features in addition to high gain at lower total drive energy • Challenging science and technology • Compression MIGHT be possible with all Drivers • 0.53 m , 1.05m (?) • Brightness requirements for compression drivers are reduced • Radiation temperatures of ~100ev required for compression! • Direct and Indirect target schemes for compression • Innovative target concepts • one-sided indirect drive • indirect drive illumination ( PDD) for direct drive • asymmetric compression drive configurations • Target fabrication tolerances are relaxed

  4. NIF produces ~4 MJ at 1.05 m

  5. Fast Ignition is compatible with all drivers Innovative target designs are possible BUT Ignitor laser energy must be determined! ions Heavy Ion Beam Drive Heavy Ion Beam Drive Z-pinch Drive Direct Laser drive Indirect Laser drive

  6. NNSA is interested too! The photons, electrons and ions from PW lasers can be used to heat and diagnose HEDP plasmas Multi-kJ PW’s are now planned for OMEGA(EP), Z-R, and NIF

  7. The Z-Beamlet laser is being upgraded to provide a high energy PW laser for use on Sandia’s Z facility Z multimegajoule z-pinch facility • The Z-Beamlet laser will provide a 2-4 kJ, 1-10 psec laser ~ 2007 • A 50-200 J, 0.5 - 10 psec prototype laser system will begin operation in 2004. Z-Beamlet multikilojoule laser facility Z z-pinch facility Z-Beamlet and Z-PW laser facility High energy radiography and fast ignitor experiments on Z facility

  8. 1.E-05 Current expts 1.E-06 CD 1 g/cc D2 Au cone ?? CD 1.E-07 Au Resistivity Ohm m Ohmic limit in FI 10 g/cc DT fuel 1.E-08 100 g/cc 1.E-09 0.1 1 10 100 1000 Temperature eV Resistive inhibition needs testing under ignition relevant conditions e Critical Surface Dense Gold Coronal Plasma/Gold Compressed Core Experiments are needed in low resistivity plasmas

  9. US OFES effort addresses all aspects of FI US Fusion Energy program OFES • OFES support is highly leveraged • Complementary programs • Internal funds • Overseas collaborations • FI Target design efforts at NNSA funded labs • SNL - Z - PW • LLE - Omega EP • LLNL - NIF -HEPW Fast Ignition Concept Exploration Ignition target design Princeton LLNL LLE UN,Reno GA SNL UC Davis GekkoXII LULI Vulcan OMEGA

  10. Hydro Modeling agrees very well • Stagnation time, shape • Compressed density • Emission from target • Model does not include mixing of Au vapor with collapsing shell - will measure from excess self-emission • Compact mass, ~60 mg/cm2 minimal cone vapor Models may be sufficiently accurately to for target design extrapolations

  11. LULI data (20 J, 0.5 ps) RAL data (100J, 0.8 ps) Electron beam is moderately well directed • Minimum spot size 70 mm, cone angle 40° • Insensitive to pulse energy (to 100 J) 180 mm Al 20 mm Cu 20mm Al thickness micron

  12. ILE Osaka Integral FI experiments at Gekko XII-PW have catalyzed FI interest worldwide GEKKO laser: 12 green laser beams E= 10 kJ, t = 1-2 nsec. Uniform irradiation(phase plates) for high density compression. I ~1014 watts/cm2 PW laser: 1 beam (~400 J) At 1 micron. PW peak power is utilized for fast heating. I~1019 watts/cm2

  13. a b 8 10 250mm c Cone Target 6 10 Neutron Yield X-ray image 4 10 0.1 1 Heating Laser Power (PW) Integral experiments at ILE show efficient heating ILE Osaka Rqd timing ~50ps • Nine drive beams, 2.5 kJ • 1/2 PW ignition beam • Deuterated plastic target T~0.8 keV 300 J short pulse doubled the core plasma temp to 0.8 keV implying 40% coupling of EPW

  14. A credible pathway to take FI to concept demonstration exists • Proof of Principle (Concept Extension) Significant core heating at relevant conditions • FIREX1 (Japan) • Concept Demonstration (Ignition/gain) • US Facilities (, Z, NIF) with PW

  15. Summary • Short pulse ( < ~10 psec), high brightness lasers (B > 1015 Watts/cm2-st) have enabled the new field of “high energy density physics (HEDP)” • There is an increasing national and international interest in HEDP • Fast Ignition exploits the physics and technology of HEDP & features: • Science frontier-relativistic plasmas, etc • Compatible with all drivers • Flexibility in reactor concepts • International collaborations ? • High gain potential at sub-megajoule energies

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