Effects of alpha particle transport in 3D 4π hydro simulations of perturbed NIF targets

Sufficient alpha particle confinement is critical to ignition in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). We assess the proportion of alpha particle energy lost by the hotspot during deceleration and burn, and how this depends on perturbation amplitude as well as hotspot temperature and areal density. The alpha particle transport is modeled using a particle pusher in which computational macroparticles interact with the fluid via coulomb-collision drag and scatter rates in a fully conservative manner. Typically around 40% of generated alpha energy is deposited in the hotspot.