Fast Ignition Inertial Confinement Fusion Research Articles

Optimizing laser focal spot size using self-focusing in a cone-guided fast-ignition ICF target

This paper presents a scheme for strong self-focusing of a laser beam interacting with a cone-guided fast-ignition inertial confinement fusion target using cone pre-plasma filling as an optical medium for reducing the laser beam waist. The objective is to reduce the focal spot size at the interior of the tip of the re-entrant cone to that required for efficient coupling to the dense imploded fuel core. This is challenging to achieve in a large laser system using the standard optical components of a chirped-pulse-amplified (CPA) laser-beam chain where the spot sizes produced are often significantly larger than would be desirable for fast ignition. The approach described also makes use of the presence of pre-plasma in the cone. Such pre-plasma filling is difficult to avoid entirely when illuminating a cone with a high-energy CPA laser system due to the challenges of reducing laser pre-pulse to below the threshold for plasma production. For deriving the differential equation which governs the progress of the laser beam-width with propagation distance, paraxial theory in a WKB approximation has been used. A simulation is performed assuming strong self-focusing in accordance with the laser parameters and plasma density profile chosen.

Whole-beam self-focusing in fusion-relevant plasma.

Fast ignition inertial confinement fusion requires the production of a low-density channel in plasma with density scale-lengths of several hundred microns. The channel assists in the propagation of an ultra-intense laser pulse used to generate fast electrons which form a hot spot on the side of pre-compressed fusion fuel. We present a systematic characterization of an expanding laser-produced plasma using optical interferometry, benchmarked against three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations. Magnetic fields associated with channel formation are probed using proton radiography, and compared to magnetic field structures generated in full-scale particle-in-cell simulations. We present observations of long-lived, straight channels produced by the Habara–Kodama–Tanaka whole-beam self-focusing mechanism, overcoming a critical barrier on the path to realizing fast ignition.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Prospects for high gain inertial fusion energy (part 2)’.

Monte Carlo particle collision model for qualitative analysis of neutron energy spectra from anisotropic inertial confinement fusion

A Monte Carlo (MC) code simulating the kinetics of two-particle collisions has shown to have certain advantages in the spectral analysis of neutrons from fast-ignition inertial confinement fusion (ICF). The MC code quickly displays neutron spectra produced in the expected fusion plasma kinetics (incl. ion energy spectrum, anisotropy, and collision geometry). This allows to explore various potential mechanisms of neutron production without using time-consuming hydrodynamic or particle simulations and makes it possible to give a feedback to ongoing experiments. The validity of this model was demonstrated in the ”cone-free-shell” fast ignition experiment at the GEKKO-XII - LFEX laser facility, where the model provided a clear explanation for the significant spectral modulation of D(d, n)3He neutrons generated through the interaction between a high-power laser and a long-scale plasma.

Ignition criteria for x-ray fast ignition inertial confinement fusion

The derivation of the ignition energy for fast ignition inertial confinement fusion is reviewed and one-dimensional simulations are used to produce a revised formula for the ignition energy of an isochoric central hot-spot, which accounts for variation in the radius of the hot-spot rh as well as the density ρ. The required energy may be as low as 1 kJ when ρrh≈0.36 g cm−2, T≈20 keV, and ρ≥700 g cm−2. Although there are many physical challenges to creating these conditions, a possible route to producing such a hot-spot is via a bright source of non-thermal soft x-rays. Further one-dimensional simulations are used to study the non-thermal soft x-ray heating of dense DT and it is found to offer the potential to significantly reduce hydrodynamic losses as compared to particle driven fast ignition due to the hotspot being heated supersonically in a layer-by-layer fashion. A sufficiently powerful soft x-ray source would be difficult to produce, but line emission from laser-produced-plasma is the most promising option.

Numerical analysis of pulsed magnetic field diffusion dynamics in gold cone target

Strong magnetic fields from a few hundred to a thousand tesla have been produced in a laboratory by using high-intensity laser beams. This strong magnetic field in a laboratory becomes a powerful tool to perform experiments in the fields such as laboratory astrophysics and nuclear fusion research. The diffusion dynamics of a pulsed magnetic field in a target is a key phenomenon for experiments with the laser-produced magnetic field. Here, we have developed a two-dimensional (2D) electromagnetic dynamics simulation code with consideration of inductive heating to simulate spatiotemporally resolved 2D profiles of the applied magnetic field in a target. The application of an external kilo-tesla-level magnetic field to a gold-cone-attached target is a promising scheme for the enhancement of heating efficiency of the fast-ignition inertial confinement fusion scheme. Our simulation revealed that the magnetic field heats the gold cone due to the inductive heating and penetrates the gold cone during its pulse duration. The developed simulation code is generally useful for designing and analyzing experiments using a strong magnetic field.

Impact of electron exchange-correlation on drift acoustic solitary waves

The impact of electron exchange-correlation term on the linear and nonlinear quantum ion (QIA) acoustic drift waves in a highly degenerate plasma is investigated. An analytical approach is employed to derive the differential equation which is later on turned into Sagdeev energy integral equation that can be utilized to get drift solitons under existence conditions. It is noted that phase speed/frequency of the linear drift quantum ion acoustic (QIA) waves increases with electron exchange-correlation effect, but the amplitude of the corresponding solitons decreases with inclusion of these effects. Present study is carried out with reference to highly dense plasma environments like fast ignition inertial confinement fusion and white dwarfs etc.

Effect of temperature degeneracy and Landau quantization on drift solitary waves and double layers

The linear and nonlinear drift ion acoustic waves have been investigated in an inhomogeneous, magnetized, dense degenerate, and quantized magnetic field plasma. The linear drift ion acoustic wave propagation along with the nonlinear structures like double layers and solitary waves has been found to be strongly dependent on the drift speed, magnetic field quantization parameter β, and the temperature degeneracy. The graphical illustrations show that the frequency of linear waves and the amplitude of the solitary waves increase with the increase in temperature degeneracy and Landau quantization effect, while the amplitude of the double layers decreases with the increase in η and T. The relevance of the present study is pointed out in the plasma environment of fast ignition inertial confinement fusion, the white dwarf stars, and short pulsed petawatt laser technology.

Improvement in the heating efficiency of fast ignition inertial confinement fusion through suppression of the preformed plasma

The study of fast electron spectrum optimization by suppression of preformed plasma in fast ignition targets is presented in this work. Integrated fast-electron spectra for electron energies below 3 MeV—the energy range responsible for core heating—are compared for different preformed plasma conditions. The pulse contrast (the ratio of peak-to-pedestal laser intensities) is compared for 108, 109 and 1011 conditions at constant laser energy (~500 J), pulse duration (2 ps), spot size (30% encircled energy on 50 µm diameter) and laser intensity (around 1 × 1019 W cm−2). The best electron spectrum optimization, consisting of maximized electron number for energies below 3 MeV was obtained with 14 µm thick cone targets. The energy coupling efficiency from heating laser to core plasma, assuming typical core plasma parameters, was estimated to be 2%, although 0.37% was obtained with previous conditions with poor pulse contrast and a 7 µm thick cone target.

Power deposition of deuteron beam in fast ignition

In ion fast ignition (FI) inertial confinement fusion (ICF), a laser accelerated ion beam called igniter provides energy required for ignition of a fuel pellet. The laser accelerated deuteron beam is considered as igniter. The deuteron beam with Maxwellian energy distribution produced at the distance d = 500 [Formula: see text]m, from fuel surface, travels during time t = 20 ps and arrives with power [Formula: see text] to the fuel surface. Then, the deuteron beam deposits its energy into fuel by Coulomb and nuclear interactions with background plasma particles during time t = 10 ps, with power [Formula: see text]. Since time and power of the two stages have same order, to calculate the total power deposited by igniter beam, both stages must be considered simultaneously. In this paper, the exact power of each stage has been calculated separately, and the total power [Formula: see text] has been obtained. The obtained results show that the total power deposition [Formula: see text] is significantly reduced due to reducing different temperature between projectile and target particles.

Particle-in-cell simulations of hot electron generation using defocused laser light in cone targets

The effects of defocusing a high intensity pulse of laser light on the generation of hot electrons in a cone are investigated using particle-in-cell simulations. The results indicate that defocused laser light can soften the electron energy spectrum and increase the coupling efficiency compared to the use of a laser in tight focus. It is shown that this is a consequence of the density profile of plasma produced by the laser prepulse, which is less dense in the case of the defocused laser. The relevance of this result to fast ignition inertial confinement fusion is discussed.

The status of Fast Ignition Realization Experiment (FIREX) and prospects for inertial fusion energy

Here we report recent progress for the fast ignition inertial confinement fusion demonstration. The fraction of low energy (< 1 MeV) component of the relativistic electron beam (REB), which efficiently heats the fuel core, increases by a factor of 4 by enhancing pulse contrast of heating laser and removing preformed plasma sources. Kilo-tesla magnetic field is studied to guide the diverging REB to the fuel core. The transport simulation of the REB accelerated by the heating laser in the externally applied and compressed magnetic field indicates that the REB can be guided efficiently to the fuel core. The integrated simulation shows > 4% of the heating efficiency and > 4 keV of ion temperature are achievable by using GEKKO-XII and LFEX, properly designed cone-fuel and an external magnetic field.

Study of channel formation and relativistic ultra-short laser pulse propagation in helium plasma

In this study, plasma channel formation in pure He plasma (ionization electron density 0.01–0.1nc) interacting with ultra-short relativistic laser pulses (50 fs, >1019 W cm−2) was observed and analyzed. By appropriately selecting the laser pulse and gas backing pressure of the gas jet, a clear density channel longer than 300 μm and wider than 25 μm was achieved in less than 1.5 ps following the passage of the laser pulse, with a radial electron density gradient of ~1023 cm−4 at the channel walls. Numerical simulations for studying the affects of the plasma density, kinetic motion of electrons and ions, and nonlinear laser propagation on the plasma channel formation were carried out, which reproduced the experimental features. These density channels were mainly driven by the radial expulsion of plasma ions, with strong continuous laser self-focusing acting to improve the channeling efficiency. These channels can guide the propagation of ultra-intense laser pulses and supply several advanced applications in high-energy physics, including fast-ignition inertial confinement fusion, plasma-based particle accelerations, and sources of radiation.

Relativistic effects on the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability

Theoretical and numerical analysis of the relativistic effects on the Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) instability reveals new and potentially very useful effects. We find that, in contrast with the non- relativistic case, the growth rate of the RM instability depends strongly on the equation of state of the fluid, opening up the possibility to infer equations of state from experimental observations of the RM instability. As opposed to the non-relativistic case, we also discover that, above a critical value of the fluid velocity, the growth rate of the instability counter-intuitively decreases due to the Lorentz's factor, and vanishes in the ultrarelativistic limit, as the speed of the particles approaches the speed of light. Both effects might prove very useful for leading-edge applications, such as the study of the equation of state of quark-gluon matter, and the design of fast ignition inertial confinement fusion (ICF) schemes. We perform a linear stability analysis to characterize the instability, for an arbitrary equation of state, and implement numerical simulations to study the instability in the non-linear regime, using the equation of state of an ideal gas. Furthermore, based on the numerical results, we propose a general expression that characterizes the long term evolution of the instability.

Progress towards numerical and experimental simulations of fusion relevant beam instabilities

In certain plasmas, non-thermal electron distributions can produce instabilities. These instabilities may be useful or potentially disruptive. Therefore the study of these instabilities is of importance in a variety of fields including fusion science and astrophysics. Following on from previous work conducted at the University of Strathclyde on the cyclotron resonance maser instability that was relevant to astrophysical radiowave generation, further instabilities are being investigated. Particular instabilities of interest are the anomalous Doppler instability which can occur in magnetic confinement fusion plasmas and the two-stream instability that is of importance in fast-ignition inertial confinement fusion. To this end, computational simulations have been undertaken to investigate the behaviour of both the anomalous Doppler and two-stream instabilities with the goal of designing an experiment to observe these behaviours in a laboratory.

Theory of fast electron transport for fast ignition

Fast ignition (FI) inertial confinement fusion is a variant of inertial fusion in which DT fuel is first compressed to high density and then ignited by a relativistic electron beam generated by a fast (<20 ps) ultra-intense laser pulse, which is usually brought in to the dense plasma via the inclusion of a re-entrant cone. The transport of this beam from the cone apex into the dense fuel is a critical part of this scheme, as it can strongly influence the overall energetics. Here we review progress in the theory and numerical simulation of fast electron transport in the context of FI. Important aspects of the basic plasma physics, descriptions of the numerical methods used, a review of ignition-scale simulations, and a survey of schemes for controlling the propagation of fast electrons are included. Considerable progress has taken place in this area, but the development of a robust, high-gain FI ‘point design’ is still an ongoing challenge.

Energy Gain Investigation in Fast Ignition ICF with Electron Ignition Beam by Changing Fuel Characteristics

Fast ignition is a method in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) in which an ignition spark in pre-compression fuel is formed by an ultra-intense laser beam. In applying this method, a hot spot is built by relative electrons which are produced by the ultra-intense laser beam. For a better understanding, a fuel energy gain curve based on density is drawn and it can be observed that the ignition by an electron beam has the maximum energy gain. The maximum energy gain has been observed in equimolar DT fuel with a density of 500 g/cm3 and in fuel with tritium (10%) with a density of 1000 g/cm3.

Dynamics of intense laser propagation in underdense plasma: Polarization dependence

We present a comprehensive numerical study of the dynamics of an intense laser pulse as it propagates through an underdense plasma in two and three dimensions. By varying the background plasma density and the polarization of the laser beam, significant differences are found in terms of energy transport and dissipation, in agreement with recently reported experimental results. Below the threshold for relativistic self-focusing, the plasma and laser dynamics are observed to be substantially insensitive to the initial laser polarization, since laser transport is dominated by ponderomotive effects. Above this threshold, relativistic effects become important, and laser energy is dissipated either by plasma heating (p-polarization) or by trapping of electromagnetic energy into plasma cavities (s-polarization) or by a combination of both (circular polarization). Besides the fundamental interest of this study, the results presented are relevant to applications such as plasma-based accelerators, x-ray lasers, and fast-ignition inertial confinement fusion.

Focusing of Relativistic Electrons in Dense Plasma Using a Resistivity-Gradient-Generated Magnetic Switchyard

A method for producing a self-generated magnetic focussing structure for a beam of laser-generated relativistic electrons using a complex array of resistivity gradients is proposed and demonstrated using numerical simulations. The array of resistivity gradients is created by using a target consisting of alternating layers of different Z material. This new scheme is capable of effectively focussing the fast electrons even when the source is highly divergent. The application of this technique to cone-guided fast ignition inertial confinement fusion is considered, and it is shown that it may be possible to deposit over 25% of the fast electron energy into a hot spot even when the fast electron divergence angle is very large (e.g., 70° half-angle).

Energy deposition of multi-MeV protons in compressed targets of fast-ignition inertial confinement fusion

The energy loss and penetration of multi-megelectronvolt protons into a uniform deuterium-tritium (DT) plasma has been calculated. The effects of nuclear elastic scattering and Coulomb interactions are treated from a unified point of view. In general, multiple scattering enhances the proton linear-energy transfer along the initial proton direction, thus the energy deposition increases near the end of its range. The net effect of multiple scattering is to reduce the penetration from 1.20 to 1.02 g cm-2 for 12 MeV protons in a ρ=500 g cm-3 plasma at T=5 keV. These results should have relevance to proton fast ignition, specifically to energy deposition calculations that critically assess quantitative ignition requirements.

Proton Radiography of Intense-Laser-Irradiated Wire-Attached Cone Targets

Measurements of extreme electrostatic and magnetic fields are of interest for the study of high-energy-density plasmas. Results of proton deflectometry of cone-wire targets that are of interest to fast-ignition inertial confinement fusion are presented.