Numerical investigation of deuterium implosion in a conical target

Abstract

The idea of using conical targets for controlled fusion was published quite a while ago. A conical target can concentrate all the energy from a laser in a small solid angle, while traditional sperically symmetric targets require the laser radiation to be distributed as uniformly as possible over the whole spherical surface. A disadvantage of conical targets is that the cone always deforms during the final compression stage, so the ability to obtain ultradense material is limited. Currently spherical targets produce the highest fusion reaction rate. Nonetheless experiments with conical targets have produced deuterium plasmas with a fusion reaction rate high enough to be of interest.