Study on target structure for direct–indirect hybrid implosion mode in heavy ion inertial fusion

Abstract

The key issues in heavy ion beam (HIB) inertial confinement fusion (ICF) include particle accelerator, physics of intense beam, beam final transport, target-plasma hydrodynamics, etc. In this paper, we focus on fuel implosion. In order to realize an effective implosion, beam illumination non-uniformity on a fuel target must be suppressed less than a few percent. In this study a direct–indirect hybrid implosion mode is discussed in heavy ion beam inertial confinement fusion (HIF) in order to release sufficient fusion energy in a robust manner. In the direct–indirect hybrid mode target, a low-density foam layer is inserted, and the radiation energy is confined in the foam layer. In the foam layer, the radiation transport is expected to smoothen the HIB illumination non-uniformity in the lateral direction. In this paper, we study the influences of the foam thickness and the inner radiation-shield Al density on implosion uniformity. Two-dimensional fluid simulations demonstrate that the hybrid target contributes to the HIB non-uniformity smoothing and releases a sufficient fusion energy output in HIF.