Effects of variable x‐ray preheat shielding in indirectly driven implosions

The performance of indirectly driven fusion capsules has been improved by mid Z doping of the plastic capsule ablator. The doping increases x‐ray preheat shielding leading to a more isentropic compression, higher convergence, and higher neutron yield. A 4× increase in neutron yield is both calculated and observed as the Ge doping level is increased from 0% to 3% by atomic fraction. A predicted 40% decrease in x‐ray image core size with increasing Ge content is confirmed.

[1]  John Lindl,et al.  Progress toward Ignition and Burn Propagation in Inertial Confinement Fusion , 1992 .

[2]  John Lindl,et al.  Hydrodynamic stability and the direct drive approach to laser fusion , 1990 .

[3]  J. Kilkenny,et al.  Laser‐driven hydrodynamic instability experiments* , 1992 .

[4]  L. Suter,et al.  Drive characterization of indirect drive targets on the Nova laser (invited) , 1995 .

[5]  Robert L. Kauffman,et al.  Measurement of 0.1-3-keV x rays from laser plasmas , 1986 .

[6]  R. Cook,et al.  Production and characterization of doped mandrels for inertial-confinement fusion experiments , 1994 .

[7]  S. P. Hatchett,et al.  Neutron spectra from inertial confinement fusion targets for measurement of fuel areal density and charged particle stopping powers , 1987 .

[8]  K. Nishihara,et al.  Rayleigh--Taylor instability on the pusher--fuel contact surface of stagnating targets , 1990 .

[9]  G. Taylor The instability of liquid surfaces when accelerated in a direction perpendicular to their planes. I , 1950, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

[10]  O. Landen,et al.  Indirectly driven, high growth Rayleigh-Taylor implosions on Nova , 1995 .

[11]  O. Landen,et al.  Diagnosis of pusher‐fuel mix in spherical implosions using x‐ray spectroscopy (invited) , 1995 .

[12]  J. Meyer-ter-Vehn,et al.  Equation‐of‐state effects on laser‐accelerated foils , 1985 .

[13]  Study of indirectly driven implosion by x‐ray spectroscopic measurements , 1995 .

[14]  R. D. Richtmyer Taylor instability in shock acceleration of compressible fluids , 1960 .

[15]  J. Kilkenny High speed proximity focused X-ray cameras , 1991 .

[16]  R. Mccrory,et al.  Preheat measurements in UV-laser target interaction☆ , 1982 .

[17]  E. Campbell Recent results from the Nova program at LLNL , 1991 .

[18]  Turner,et al.  Modeling and interpretation of Nova's symmetry scaling data base. , 1994, Physical review letters.

[19]  R. Sigel,et al.  Self‐similar expansion of dense matter due to heat transfer by nonlinear conduction , 1983 .

[20]  J. Kilkenny,et al.  X‐ray spectroscopy of high‐energy density inertial confinement fusion plasmas , 1993 .

[21]  J. Nuckolls,et al.  Laser Compression of Matter to Super-High Densities: Thermonuclear (CTR) Applications , 1972, Nature.

[22]  J. Gardner,et al.  Wavelength scaling for reactor-size laser fusion targets. Memorandum report , 1981 .

[23]  Keane,et al.  Diagnosis of pusher-fuel mix in indirectly driven Nova implosions. , 1994, Physical review letters.

[24]  O. Landen,et al.  Three-dimensional simulations of Nova high growth factor capsule implosion experiments , 1996 .

[25]  Nelson,et al.  Indirectly driven, high convergence inertial confinement fusion implosions. , 1994, Physical review letters.