scholarly journals The path to electrical energy using laser fusion

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen E. Bodner
Keyword(s):  
Excimer Laser ◽  
Laser Plasma ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Short Wavelength ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Laser Fusion ◽  
Direct Drive ◽  
Large Bandwidth ◽  
Hot Plasma

Direct-drive laser fusion has one potential advantage over all other approaches to fusion energy. The hot plasma can be kept near or below the various plasma instability thresholds, if one uses purely spherical targets, with a short wavelength, large bandwidth and optically smoothed excimer laser. Instead of trying to manage laser–plasma instabilities, one avoids them. There is a path to complete the evaluation and development of this energy option, with moderate costs and a moderate time scale. Glass lasers, with their longer wavelength and narrower bandwidth, are no longer useful to evaluate fusion targets.

scholarly journals Direct-drive laser fusion: status, plans and future

2020 ◽  
Vol 379 (2189) ◽  
pp. 20200011 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. M. Campbell ◽  
T. C. Sangster ◽  
V. N. Goncharov ◽  
J. D. Zuegel ◽  
S. F. B. Morse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laser Plasma ◽  
Inertial Confinement Fusion ◽  
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
National Laboratory ◽  
Energy Coupling ◽  
High Gain ◽  
Laser Fusion ◽  
Inertial Confinement ◽  
Direct Drive

Laser-direct drive (LDD), along with laser indirect (X-ray) drive (LID) and magnetic drive with pulsed power, is one of the three viable inertial confinement fusion approaches to achieving fusion ignition and gain in the laboratory. The LDD programme is primarily being executed at both the Omega Laser Facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics and at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. LDD research at Omega includes cryogenic implosions, fundamental physics including material properties, hydrodynamics and laser–plasma interaction physics. LDD research on the NIF is focused on energy coupling and laser–plasma interactions physics at ignition-scale plasmas. Limited implosions on the NIF in the ‘polar-drive’ configuration, where the irradiation geometry is configured for LID, are also a feature of LDD research. The ability to conduct research over a large range of energy, power and scale size using both Omega and the NIF is a major positive aspect of LDD research that reduces the risk in scaling from OMEGA to megajoule-class lasers. The paper will summarize the present status of LDD research and plans for the future with the goal of ultimately achieving a burning plasma in the laboratory. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Prospects for high gain inertial fusion energy (part 2)’.

scholarly journals Suppression of stochastic pulsation in laser–plasma interaction by smoothing methods

1993 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Aydin ◽  
H. Hora
Keyword(s):  
Laser Plasma ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
Laser Interaction ◽  
Direct Drive ◽  
Question Mark ◽  
Plasma Interaction ◽  
Laser Plasma Interaction ◽  
Smoothing Methods ◽  
Plasma Corona ◽  
Interaction Problem

Smoothing of laser-plasma interaction by ISI, RPP, SSD, etc. was mainly directed to overcome lateral nonuniformity of irradiation. While these problems are in no way less important, we derived numerically the model of the Laue rippling and hydrorelaxation model for explanation of the measured temporal pulsation in the 10- to 40-ps range and how the smoothing schemes suppress these pulsations. The partial standing wave fields of the normally coherent laser-irradiated plasma corona is then suppressed by smoothing and conclusion for tests for this model, e.g., by the “question mark experiment” is given. The result provides a physics solution of the laser interaction problem for direct-drive inertial fusion energy

Effects of radiation on direct-drive laser fusion targets

2000 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 2046-2054 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Colombant ◽  
S. E. Bodner ◽  
A. J. Schmitt ◽  
M. Klapisch ◽  
J. H. Gardner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laser Fusion ◽  
Direct Drive ◽  
Effects Of Radiation ◽  
Drive Laser

scholarly journals X-ray transmission grating spectrometer with CCD detector for laser plasma studies

1991 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 579-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Pína ◽  
H. Fiedorowicz ◽  
M. O. Koshevoi ◽  
A. A. Rupasov ◽  
B. Rus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laser Plasma ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Array Detector ◽  
Charge Coupled Device ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Transmission Grating ◽  
Hot Plasma ◽  
Ccd Detector ◽  
Wet Processing

A program is under way to develop methods and instrumentation based on charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors for hot plasma diagnostics. We have developed a new X-ray spectrometer in which a freestanding X-ray transmission grating is coupled to a CCD linear array detector with electronic digitized readout replacing film and its wet processing. This instrument measures time-integrated pulsed X-ray spectra with moderate spectral resolution (δλ ≤ 0.6 nm) over a broad spectral range (0.3–2 keV) with high sensitivity, linearity, and large dynamic range. The performance of the device was tested using laser plasma as the X-ray source.

A Near Symmetrically Illuminated Direct Drive Laser Fusion Power Reactor - SIRIUS-P

1994 ◽  
Vol 26 (3P2) ◽  
pp. 868-872 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. N. Sviatoslavsky ◽  
G. L. Kulcinski ◽  
G. A. Moses ◽  
D. Bruggink ◽  
R. L. Engelstad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Reactor ◽  
Laser Fusion ◽  
Direct Drive ◽  
Fusion Power ◽  
Drive Laser

scholarly journals Laser driven implosion

1990 ◽  
Vol 8 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 3-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Yamanaka
Keyword(s):  
Inertial Confinement Fusion ◽  
Laser Energy ◽  
Laser Fusion ◽  
Plastic Shell ◽  
Inertial Confinement ◽  
Liquid Density ◽  
Direct Drive ◽  
Uniform Compression ◽  
Confinement Fusion ◽  
Key Issues

Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) has made great progress. In fact several significant scientific firsts have been achieved in the last year. These developments have presented the ICF community with an opportunity to embark on a new phase in ICF research. The key issues of laser fusion are to attain a high absorption of laser light in a plasma, to prevent preheating of fuel during the compression, and to achieve highly efficient implosion by uniform compression of fuel due to the homogeneous deposition of laser energy on the pellet surface. Direct drive and indirect drive have been investigated. The progress in both schemes is remarkable. The neutron yield by the stagnation free compression of the LHART target has attained 1013 which corresponds to a pellet gain of 1/500. The plastic shell target has reached a fuel density as large as 600 times the liquid density which is measured by the Si activation method as well as the D knockon method. A cryogenic foam target is now under investigation.

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