The Potential of Fast Ignition and Related Experiments with a Petawatt Laser Facility

摘要

A model of energy gain induced by fast ignition of thermonuclear burn in compressed deuterium- tritium fuel, is used to show the potential for 300× gain with a driver energy of 1 MJ, if the National Ignition Facility (NIF) were to be adapted for fast ignition. The physics of fast ignition has been studied using a petawatt laser facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Laser plasma interaction in a preformed plasma on a solid target leads to relativistic self focusing evidenced by x-ray images. Absorption of the laser radiation transfers energy to an intense source of relativistic electrons. Good conversion efficiency into a wide angular distribution is reported. Heating by the electrons in solid density CD_2 produces 0.5 to 1keV temperature, inferred from the D-D thermo-nuclear neutron yield.