Title :
Status of direct-drive laser fusion target designs
Author :
Bodner, Stephen E.
Author_Institution :
Div. of Plasma Phys., Naval Res. Lab., Washington, DC, USA
Abstract :
There is now substantial evidence that a direct-drive target driven with a krypton fluoride laser can reach ignition. Sufficient laser beam uniformity has been achieved with optical beam smoothing. Laser-plasma instabilities can likely be controlled with a short laser wavelength, with optical beam smoothing, and with the angular overlap of multiple laser beams. The Rayleigh-Taylor instability can be controlled by preheating the ablator. Targets are now being designed that satisfy all of these constraints. They may also have enough energy gain for a fusion reactor
Keywords :
Rayleigh-Taylor instability; excimer lasers; fusion reactor ignition; krypton compounds; plasma heating by laser; plasma inertial confinement; plasma instability; plasma production by laser; ICF; KrF; Rayleigh-Taylor instability; angular overlap; direct-drive laser fusion target designs; fusion reactor; inertial confinement fusion; laser beam uniformity; laser-plasma instabilities; multiple laser beams; optical beam smoothing; Costs; Fuels; Fusion reactor design; Gas lasers; Laser beams; Laser fusion; Laser theory; Optical beams; Optical design; Physics;
Conference_Titel :
Fusion Engineering, 1997. 17th IEEE/NPSS Symposium
Conference_Location :
San Diego, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-4226-7
DOI :
10.1109/FUSION.1997.687696
