Study of channeling in thermonuclear plasmas by laser in the inertial confinement fusion

Jose F Miramar Blazquez

doi:10.1109/plasma.2008.4590693

Abstract

The process of laser propagation in thermonuclear plasma, corresponding to implosion of Deuterium-Tritium pellets in Inertial Confinement Fusion, by injecting energy provided by high power laser devices into a quiescent plasma, has developed a great interest because in it are generated solitons. These solitons, sometimes called cavitons, that have been generated near critical layer were w 0 = w p , being w p the laser frequency and w 0 the plasma frequency, exhibits a change in electronic density that is caused by ponderomotive force of laser radiation, that is a function of gradient of square modulus of electric field. The phenomenon known as electron cavitation is a consequence of depression of electronic density, near critical layer that originates the formation of a channel free of electrons. It is needed a high electric field that expels the electrons from the central region of plasma due to ponderomotive force. There are two forms two forms of producing X-ray radiation: acceleration of electrons by laser and production of inner holes. The channel formation origins that the X-rays can propagate as they were into a waveguide, with minimum losses and maintaining the coherence. We calculate the value of ponderomotive force in the case that electric field corresponds to a soliton generated in a thermonuclear plasma, near critical layer, and comparate it with the value obtained of charge-separation force of electrons. We study, also, the channel formation by laser in plasma and the characteristics of waveguide that has been formed.

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