The first target experiments on the national ignition facility

Conference item

A first set of shock timing, laser-plasma interaction, hohlraum energetics and hydrodynamic experiments have been performed using the first 4 beams of the National Ignition Facility (NIF), in support of indirect drive Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High Energy Density Physics (HEDP). In parallel, a robust set of optical and X-ray spectrometers, interferometer, calorimeters and imagers have been activated. The experiments have been undertaken with laser powers and energies of up to 8 TW and 17 kJ in flattop and shaped 1-9 ns pulses focused with various beam smoothing options. The experiments have demonstrated excellent agreement between measured and predicted laser-target coupling in foils and hohlraums, even when extended to a longer pulse regime unattainable at previous laser facilities, validated the predicted effects of beam smoothing oil intense laser beam propagation in long scale-length plasmas and begun to test 3D codes by extending the study of laser driven hydrodynamic jets to 3D geometries.

Authors: Landen, O; Glenzer, S; Froula, D; Dewald, E; Suter, L

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL D
• Volume: 44
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 273-281
• Publication date: 2007-08-01
• Event title: 4th International Conference o Inertial Fusion Sciences and Applications
• DOI: 10.1140/epjd/e2006-00111-6
• EISSN: 1434-6079
• ISSN: 1434-6060
• Keywords: LIGHT; PLASMA; INERTIAL CONFINEMENT FUSION; PHYSICS BASIS; SYSTEM; BACKSCATTER; BEAM; STIMULATED RAMAN-SCATTERING; DRIVE; LASER-HEATED HOHLRAUMS