Inertial Confinement Fusion
Ignition and target gain at the National Ignition Facility, implosion physics and laser and pulsed-power drivers.
Most influential
- Inertial-confinement fusion with lasersArticle892 citationsdoi:10.1038/nphys3736
- Fuel gain exceeding unity in an inertially confined fusion implosionArticle874 citationsdoi:10.1038/nature13008
- Direct-drive inertial confinement fusion: A review
The direct-drive, laser-based approach to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is reviewed from its inception following the demonstration of the first laser to its implementation on the present generation of high-power lasers. The review focuses on the evolution of scientific understanding gained from target-physics experiments in many areas, identifying proble…
Abstract excerpt by Robert S. Craxton et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4934714; truncated.
Article774 citationsdoi:10.1063/1.4934714 - Review of the National Ignition Campaign 2009-2012Article694 citationsdoi:10.1063/1.4865400
- Colloquium : Nonlinear collective interactions in quantum plasmas with degenerate electron fluids
The current understanding of some important nonlinear collective processes in quantum plasmas with degenerate electrons is presented. After reviewing the basic properties of quantum plasmas, we present model equations (e.g. the quantum hydrodynamic and effective nonlinear Schrödinger-Poisson equations) that describe collective nonlinear phenomena at nanoscal…
Article477 citationsarXiv:1009.5215doi:10.1103/revmodphys.83.885 - Symmetric Inertial Confinement Fusion Implosions at Ultra-High Laser EnergiesArticle372 citationsdoi:10.1126/science.1185634
- Description of the NIF LaserArticle307 citationsdoi:10.13182/fst15-144
- Progress towards ignition on the National Ignition FacilityArticle296 citationsdoi:10.1063/1.4816115
- Design of inertial fusion implosions reaching the burning plasma regime
Abstract In a burning plasma state1–7, alpha particles from deuterium–tritium fusion reactions redeposit their energy and are the dominant source of heating. This state has recently been achieved at the US National Ignition Facility8 using indirect-drive inertial-confinement fusion. Our experiments use a laser-generated radiation-filled cavity (a hohlraum) t…
Abstract excerpt by A. L. Kritcher et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-021-01485-9; truncated.
Article208 citationsdoi:10.1038/s41567-021-01485-9 - Instabilities and Mixing in Inertial Confinement Fusion
By imploding fuel of hydrogen isotopes, inertial confinement fusion (ICF) aims to create conditions that mimic those in the Sun's core. This is fluid dynamics in an extreme regime, with the ultimate goal of making nuclear fusion a viable clean energy source. The fuel must be reliably and symmetrically compressed to temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees …
Abstract excerpt by Ye Zhou et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-fluid-022824-110008; truncated.
Review176 citationsdoi:10.1146/annurev-fluid-022824-11000… - Onset of Hydrodynamic Mix in High-Velocity, Highly Compressed Inertial Confinement Fusion ImplosionsArticle242 citationsdoi:10.1103/physrevlett.111.085004
- First-principles equation-of-state table of deuterium for inertial confinement fusion applications
Understanding and designing inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions through radiation-hydrodynamics simulations rely on the accurate knowledge of the equation of state (EOS) of the deuterium and tritium fuels. To minimize the drive energy for ignition, the imploding shell of DT fuel must be kept as cold as possible. Such low-adiabat ICF implosions can a…
Article237 citationsarXiv:1110.0001doi:10.1103/physrevb.84.224109 - Design of an inertial fusion experiment exceeding the Lawson criterion for ignition
We present the design of the first igniting fusion plasma in the laboratory by Lawson's criterion that produced 1.37 MJ of fusion energy, Hybrid-E experiment N210808 (August 8, 2021) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 075001 (2022)10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.075001]. This design uses the indirect drive inertial confinement fusion approach to heat and compress a central "hot…
Abstract excerpt by A. L. Kritcher et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.106.025201; truncated.
Article187 citationsdoi:10.1103/physreve.106.025201 - High-Adiabat High-Foot Inertial Confinement Fusion Implosion Experiments on the National Ignition FacilityArticle225 citationsdoi:10.1103/physrevlett.112.055001
- Three-dimensional simulations of low foot and high foot implosion experiments on the National Ignition FacilityArticle205 citationsdoi:10.1063/1.4943527
Newest work
- Transition from laser Raman to Bernstein scattering in magnetized plasmasPreprintarXiv:2610.38093
- A Macroscopic Model of Bipolar Corona Discharges for Ionic Thrusters SimulationPreprintarXiv:2610.38556
- Diffusion model for fast alpha-particle transport in Magneto-Inertial Fusion plasmasPreprintarXiv:2610.38839
- Comparative analysis of tungsten armor and a liquid-lithium film as first walls for the HiPER laser-fusion chamber: thermal response, vapor shielding and helium transmission to the steelPreprintarXiv:2610.37047
- Non-Maxwellianity in Temperature Relaxation between Plasma SpeciesPreprintarXiv:2610.35009
- Neutron-Lean D-3He Fusion by Asymmetric Enhancement of the Primary Reaction: A Spin-Polarized Non-Thermal Hot TailPreprintarXiv:2610.36310
- Beyond Radiation Hydrodynamics: A Coupled Kinetic Plasma and Radiation Modeling of NIF Polar Direct Drive CapsulePreprintarXiv:2610.26537
- Path-integrated electrostatic energization in laser-driven collisionless cylindrical convergencePreprintarXiv:2610.23431
- Physical-state supervision for design-only Gaussian process surrogates of implosion simulationsPreprintarXiv:2610.13822
- Reaching high fusion gain with grams of spin-polarized fuelPreprintarXiv:2610.11080