Two laser-driven mix experiments to study reshock and shear

Abstract

In an effort to better understand mix in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) implosion cores, a series of laser-driven mix experiments has been designed for the University of Rochester's OMEGA laser. Our objective is to perform experiments to investigate the turbulent mixing at material interfaces when subject to multiple shocks and reshocks or high-speed shear. Ultimately, these experiments are providing detailed quantitative measurements to assist in validation efforts for the BHR-2 mix model, which is implemented in the RAGE hydrodynamics code. The Reshock experiment studies the physical process of shocking and reshocking mix layers. Radiographs are recorded to compile a temporal evolution of the mixing layer and its subsequent reshock, compression, and re-growth phases. The Shear experiment investigates shear-driven growth of a mix layer, and radiography captures the time evolution of the development of turbulent mixing due to shear. Simulations of both the Reshock and Shear experiments using RAGE and the BHR-2 mix model demonstrate good agreement with the mix evolution seen in the experimental data, giving confidence that BHR-2 is capable of simulating the behavior of both compressive and shear-driven turbulent flows.