Analysis of the Operation of Thermonuclear Inverted-Corona Targets with an Ultrathin Working Layer at the Iskra-5 Laser Facility

Abstract

We report on the results of experiments performed on the Iskra-5 laser facility for studying the effect of the polydeuteroethylene (CD2)n working layer thickness on the operation parameter of an inverted-corona target. In all experiments of this series, the neutron yield at a level of 107–3 × 108 DD neutrons per shot was detected for the total laser radiation energy supplied to the target by 12 second-harmonic beams in the range of 1.6–2.2 kJ. Using the neutron time-of-flight technique, we have detected an increase in the ion temperature from approximately 6.4 to 14 keV upon a decrease in the (CD2)n layer thickness from 1 to 0.1 μm.