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Fast heating efficiency when a pre-imploded core is directly heated with an ultraintense laser (heating laser) was investigated. ‘Direct heating’ means that a heating laser hits a pre-imploded core without applying either a laser guiding cone or an external field. The efficiency, η, is defined as the increase in the internal core energy divided by the energy of the heating laser. Six beams (output of 1.6 kJ) from the GEKKO XII (GXII) green laser system at the Institute of Laser Engineering (ILE), Osaka University were applied to implode a spherical deuterated polystyrene (CD) shell target to form a dense core. The DD-reacted protons and the core x-ray emissions showed a core density of 2.8 ± 0.7 g cm−3, or 2.6 times the solid density. Furthermore, DD-reacted thermal neutrons were utilized to estimate the core temperature between 600 and 750 eV. Thereafter, the core was directly heated by a laser for fast-ignition experiments (LFEX, an extremely energetic ultrashort pulse laser) at ILE with its axis lying along or perpendicular to the GXII bundle axis, respectively. The former and latter laser configurations were termed ‘axial’ and ‘transverse modes’, respectively. The η was estimated from three independent methods: (1) the core x-ray emission, (2) the thermal neutron yield, and (3) the runaway hot electron spectra. For the axial mode, 0.8% < η < 2.1% at low power (low LFEX energy) and 0.4% < η < 2.5% at high power (high LFEX energy). For the transverse mode, 2.6% < η < 7% at low power and 1.5% < η < 7.7% at high power. Their efficiencies were compared with that in the uniform implosion mode using 12 GXII beams, 6% < η < 12%, which appeared near to the η for the transverse mode, except that the error bar is very large.

A laser inertial fusion energy (IFE) reactor requires repetitive injection of fuel pellets and laser engagement to fuse fusion fuel beyond a few Hz. We demonstrate 10 Hz free-fall bead pellet injection and laser engagement with γ-ray generation. Deuterated polystyrene beads with a diameter of 1 mm were engaged by counter illuminating ultra-intense laser pulses with an intensity of 5 × 1017 W cm−2 at 10 Hz. The spatial distribution of free-fall beads was 0.86 mm in the horizontal direction and 0.18 mm in the vertical direction. The system operated for more than 5 min and 3500 beads were supplied with achieved frequencies of 2.1 Hz for illumination on the beads and 0.7 Hz for γ-ray generation; these frequencies were three times greater than with the previous 1 Hz injection system. The duration of operation was limited by the pellet supply. This injection and engagement system could be used for laser IFE research platforms.

The applicability of tokamak, helical and laser fusion reactors as a volumetric fusion neutron source has been examined using the systems codes that have been utilised for the conceptual design of DEMO and commercial reactors in Japan. This study has clarified the characteristics of reactor-based volumetric neutron sources that can be designed based on the current physics and engineering basis with a reasonable running cost (∼5B Yen/year). Although the achievable neutron flux is 2–3 orders lower than that of accelerator driven neutron sources, tokamak and helical neutron sources can provide a much larger irradiation area for the test of large components. Laser neutron sources have both high operability and tritium breeding capacity. These reactor-based neutron sources also serve as an integrated test bed of the entire reactor system.

A multi-purpose high repetition laser facility, the so-called Japan establishment for power-laser community harvest (J-EPoCH) is proposed as a next generation laser facility. J-EPoCH will operate at the maximum rate of 100 Hz. The omnidirectional 12 laser beams with 8 kJ would yield ∼1013 neutrons with a large high aspect ratio target. As one of the applications of J-EPoCH, a laser fusion subcritical research reactor has been conceptually designed based on existing technologies. Moreover, a variety of fusion engineering studies: energy conversion, tritium breeding, neutron irradiation effects, etc, can be conducted. The feasibility of the subcritical research reactor is considered in terms of neutron-thermal (n-t) conversion and tritium breeding. Lead–lithium alloy (Li17Pb83) and boron carbide (B4C) have the potential to be studied for preliminary fusion power generation. The subcritical reactor will generate 21.4 W and 20.0 W of the thermal fusion power with the Li17Pb83 and the B4C layers of the thickness of 80 cm, respectively at 1 Hz operation. The Li17Pb83 layer of a 5 mm thickness will achieve the temperature rise of 0.203 mK per shot. The thermal fusion energy is detectable with conventional measurement techniques. The core with the Li17Pb83 layer thickness of 100 cm will yield more than one tritium from a deuterium–tritium fusion neutron. However, laser windows reduce the efficiency of n-t conversion and tritium yield., ** After this version, the author still has made a few minor corrections.

This study is aimed at the development of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets for application in a fusion experimental device next to the Large Helical Device (LHD). By applying the features of an HTS, high current density and high stability can be balanced. As a candidate conductor, REBCO tapes and pure aluminum sheets are laminated and placed in the groove of an aluminum alloy jacket with a circular cross-section, after joining a lid to the jacket using friction stir welding, and twisting the conductor to homogenize its electrical and mechanical properties. The FAIR conductor derives its name from the processes and materials used in its development: Friction stir welding, an Aluminum alloy jacket, Indirect cooling, and REBCO tapes. Initially, the degradation of the critical current of the FAIR conductor is observed, which was eventually resolved. The development status of the FAIR conductor has been reported.

In laser-driven inertial fusion energy reactors, injected fuel pellets are continuously delivered into the reaction chamber and irradiated by laser beams injected at a frequency of tens of hertz. Thus far, a spherical shell pellet has been confirmed as the most conventional target design to achieve high-energy-density state thorough an implosion process that is required for fusion burn. To demonstrate repetitive fuel implosion with a 1 Hz joule-class laser system, a testbed of a shell injection system delivering a spherical shell (500 m diameter and 7 m thickness) was developed. The developed testbed demonstrated that (i) repetitive implosion (maximum frequency: 0.5 Hz) of shell injection was possible for more than ten shells at a shell speed of 191 mm s−1, and (ii) the distribution of the injected shell after 18 cm free-fall was within a circular region, 6.4 mm in diameter. The estimated laser-hit-ratio to the pellet was on the order of 10%.

Dy–Ba–Cu–O bulk superconductor has an excellent capability of trapping magnetic flux and lower heat conductivity at cryogenic temperatures as compared with Y–Ba–Cu–O bulk superconductor. The Young's modulus and the bending strength in the range from room temperature to 7 K were measured by the three-point bending tests using specimens cut from a melt-processed Dy–Ba–Cu–O bulk superconductor. They were tested in a helium gas flow type cryostat at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe and in a liquid nitrogen bath at Iwate University. The Young's modulus was calculated by either the slope of stress–strain curve or that of the load–deflection curve of the specimen. Although the bending strength measured in the two institutes coincided well, there was a significant discrepancy in the Young's modulus. The Young's modulus and bending strength increased with decrease of temperature down to 7 K. The amount of increase in the Young's modulus and the bending strength were about 32% and 36% of those at room temperature, respectively. The scatter of data for each run was significant and did not depend on temperature. The temperature dependence of the Young's modulus coincided with that in Y–Ba–Cu–O obtained by ultrasonic velocity. The temperature dependence of the Young's modulus and the bending strength was discussed from the view point of interatomic distance of the bulk crystal.

Development of foam materials for cryogenically cooled fuel targets is described in this paper. The fabrication development was initiated as a part of the fast ignition realization experiment (FIREX) project at the ILE, Osaka University under a bilateral collaboration between Osaka University and National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS). For the first stage of FIREX (FIREX-I), a foam cryogenic target was designed in which low-density foam shells with a conical light guide will be fuelled through a narrow pipe and will be cooled down to the cryogenic temperature. Acrylic polymer, resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF) resin, poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) (PMP), and polystyrene-based crosslinking polymer have been investigated as supporting materials for cryogenic fuel. The properties of the material and the present status of the material development are summarized.

Mechanical design of an experimental apparatus for FIREX cryo-target cooling is described. Gaseous helium (GHe) sealing system at a cryogenic environment is an important issue for laser fusion experiments. The dedicated loading system was designed for a metal gasket. We take U-TIGHTSEAL® (Usui Kokusai Sangyo Kaisha. Ltd.) with an indium plated copper jacket as an example. According to its specification, a linear load of 110 N/m along its circumference is the optimum compression; however a lower load would still maintain helium (He) leak below the required level. Its sealing performance was investigated systematically. Our system demanded 27 N/mm of the load to keep He leak tightness in a cryogenic environment. Once leak tightness was obtained, it could be reduced to 9.5 N/mm.

FIREX targets have been developed under two layering strategies: foam shell and cone guide laser heating methods. Basic studies have been conducted by the collaboration research between ILE and NIFS. Then the next stage requires the characterization of a layered solid fuel. The present system is at the disadvantage of optical observations. Therefore, a new apparatus is designed to solve it. Glass windows with a wide aperture are installed for an interferometer and a microscope. To isolate the vibration from a cryocooler, active vibration control units are equipped, and flexible thermal conductive links are utilized. Furthermore, a quick target exchange mechanism is applied to deal with different types of FIREX targets. A target holder is detachable from a main vacuum chamber. A metal gasket with not fixing bolts but a load of ~ thousand newtons on ensures GHe leak tightness for target cooling. Eventually, the design temperature of 10.00 K at a target container has been achieved. The cool-down performance indecates that the new apparatus provides a cryogenic environment for fuel layering demonstrations.

Voidless fuel solidification within a foam material is attempted for the development of a Fast Ignition Realization EXperiment (FIREX) target. A typical target consists of a foam shell with a thin solid fuel layer, a gold cone guide and a glass fill tube. The foam layer is formed with aggregations of tiny cells. The porous foam material has the advantage of forming a uniform layer in a liquid state by the effect of capillarity. Random liquid–solid transitions of fuel, however, would cause void spaces in each cell because of their different densities. To form a voidless solid fuel layer in the FIREX target, we propose a layering method, which includes the process of controlled solidification and simultaneous liquid fuel supply to the liquid/solid interface. Normal H2 is used as a surrogate fuel for our experiments. By applying a resorcinol/formalin aerogel, which has been developed in the Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, instead of a foam material, formation of a solid H2 layer with reduced void spaces is preliminarily demonstrated. Related solid H2 refractive indices are measured to estimate the void fraction. Eventually, its filling factor reaches ~99%. Furthermore, the application of the proved method is numerically simulated on the FIREX target. The method is confirmed to be applicable in it with a cone guide heating technique.

Based on the successful result of fast heating of a shell target with a cone for heating beam injection at Osaka University in 2002 using the PW laser (Kodama et al 2002 Nature 418 933), the FIREX-1 project was started in 2004. Its goal is to demonstrate fuel heating up to 5 keV using an upgraded heating laser beam. For this purpose, the LFEX laser, which can deliver an energy up to10 kJ in a 0.5–20 ps pulse at its full spec, has been constructed in addition to the Gekko-XII laser system at the Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University. It has been activated and became operational since 2009. Following the previous experiment with the PW laser, upgraded integrated experiments of fast ignition have been started using the LFEX laser with an energy up to 1 kJ in 2009 and 2 kJ in 2010 in a 1–5 ps 1.053 µm pulse. Experimental results including implosion of the shell target by Gekko-XII, heating of the imploded fuel core by LFEX laser injection, and increase of the neutron yield due to fast heating compared with no heating have been achieved. Results in the 2009 experiment indicated that the heating efficiency was 3–5%, much lower than the 20–30% expected from the previous 2002 data. It was attributed to the very hot electrons generated in a long scale length plasma in the cone preformed with a prepulse in the LFEX beam. The prepulse level was significantly reduced in the 2010 experiment to improve the heating efficiency. Also we have improved the plasma diagnostics significantly which enabled us to observe the plasma even in the hard x-ray harsh environment. In the 2010 experiment, we have observed neutron enhancement up to 3.5 × 107 with total heating energy of 300 J on the target, which is higher than the yield obtained in the 2009 experiment and the previous data in 2002. We found the estimated heating efficiency to be at a level of 10–20%. 5 keV heating is expected at the full output of the LFEX laser by controlling the heating efficiency.

This paper reports on way to fabricate a gas-tight targets dedicated for the first stage of Fast Ignition Realization Experiment (FIREX-I) at the Institute of Laser Engineering (ILE), Osaka University. It was found that a Ti;sapphire laser machining can be used to fabricate the target. The performance of the laser machining using a fs Ti;sapphire laser was examined on shell materials. The conditions for accurate machining were determined. Michelson interferometer with two different wavelengths which imitates a white light interferometer is an excellent tool for confirming the gas-tightness of the target after assembly.

Hydrogen at high pressure in the fluid state is of great interest for target design of inertial confinement fusion and understanding the interior structure of gas giant planets. In this work, we successfully obtained the Hugoniot data for liquid hydrogen up to 55 GPa under laser-driven shock loading using impedance matching to a quartz standard. The shocked temperature was determined simultaneously by the brightness temperature. The compression and temperature along the principal Hugoniot are in good agreement with theoretical models. High reflectivity of hydrogen was observed at 40 GPa, which suggests the fluid becomes conducting.

The development of target fabrication for the Fast Ignition Realization EXperiment (FIREX) Project is described in this paper. For the first stage of the FIREX Project (FIREX-I), the previously designed target has been modified by using a bromine-doped ablator and coating the inner gold cone with a low-density material. A high-quality bromine-doped capsule without vacuoles was fabricated from bromine-doped deuterated polystyrene. The gold surface was coated with a low-density material by electrochemical plating. For the cryogenic fuel target, a brand new type of aerogel material, phloroglucinol/formaldehyde (PF), was investigated and encapsulated to meet the specifications of 500 µm diameter and 20 µm thickness, with 30 nm nanopores. Polystyrene-based low-density materials were investigated and the relationship between the crosslinker content and the nanopore structure was observed.

Equipments and techniques have been developed for characterization of the foam shell target for the FIREX-I. An interference measurement technique is planned to use to measure the quantity of fuel in a foam shell. A preliminary experiment of the interference measurement technique was carried out. Experimental results indicate the refractive index of RF foam is near 1.08 and that of vacant RF foam containing liquid H2 is near 1.22. Calculations indicate the refractive index of vacant RF foam is 1.07 and that of RF foam containing H2 is 1.19. Some causes of these differences were discussed.

To develop the fuel layering sequence for the FIREX cryogenic target, redistribution of surrogate fuel, solid H2 in a shell with cooling duration has been studied. Two kinds of dummy targets with a foam and a polystyrene shells (~800 μm and 2 mm in diameter, respectively) were tested. The solid H2 layer in the polystyrene shell was accumulated on the shell bottom as time elapsed. On the other hand, the foam shell had less elapsed time dependence than the polystyrene shell. Furthermore, elapsed time appeared to make the solid H2 layer uniform.