Radiation-Dominated Implosion with Flat Target

• Published in: Physics of wave phenomena Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 187 - 199
• Main Authors: Csernai, L. P., Csete, M., Mishustin, I. N., Motornenko, A., Papp, I., Satarov, L. M., Stöcker, H., Kroó, N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01-07-2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Absorptivity; Acoustics; Clean energy; Energy; Energy dissipation; Fluid dynamics; Fuels; Heating; Ignition; Inertial confinement fusion; Laser beams; Laser Radiation and Its Application; Nanotechnology; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Plasmonics; Quantum Optics; R&D; Relativistic effects; Research & development
• ISSN: 1541-308X; 1934-807X
• DOI: 10.3103/S1541308X20030048

Inertial confinement fusion is a promising option to provide massive, clean, and affordable energy for humanity in the future. The present status of research and development is hindered by hydrodynamic instabilities occurring at the intense compression of the target fuel by energetic laser beams. A recent proposal by Csernai et al. [1] combines advances in two fields: detonations in relativistic fluid dynamics and radiative energy deposition by plasmonic nanoshells. To avoid instabilities, the initial compression of the target pellet can be eliminated or decreased. Rapid volume ignition can be achieved by a final and more energetic short laser pulse, which should be as short as the penetration time of the light across the target. In the present study, we discuss a flat fuel target irradiated from both sides simultaneously. Here we propose ignition with smaller compression, by largely increased energy, and entropy increase. Instead of external indirect heating and huge energy loss, we aim for maximized internal heating in the target with the help of recent advances in nanotechnology. The reflectivity of the target can be made negligible, and the absorptivity can be increased by one or two orders of magnitude using plasmonic nanoshells embedded into the target fuel. Thus, we achieve higher ignition energy and radiation-dominated dynamics. Here in most of the interior, we will reach the ignition energy simultaneously based on the results of relativistic fluid dynamics. This reduces development of instabilities, which up to now prevented the complete ignition of the fuel.