Cloud and microjet mix: A possible source of yield limitation of the National Ignition Facility targets

Abstract

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) megajoule laser at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has produced a significant amount of useful physics results related to inertial confinement fusion since it began operating in 2010. However, the achievement of its primary goal of generating ignition in a thermonuclear plasma has proven elusive, and measured yields were far below those expected under ideal illumination and target structure conditions. The reason for the limited yields has not been explained in detail. This work proposes and shows support for the possibility that the low yields may be, at least partly, the result of ejecta from the interior of the target containment and driving shell.