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Low-adiabat polar-drive (PD) [Skupsky et al., Phys. Plasmas 11, 2763 (2004)] implosion designs for the OMEGA [Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] laser are described. These designs for cryogenic deuterium-tritium and warm plastic shells use a temporal laser pulse shape with three pickets followed by a main pulse [Goncharov et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 165001 (2010)]. The designs are at two different on-target laser intensities, with different in-flight aspect ratios (IFARs). These designs permit studies of implosion energetics and target performance closer to ignition-relevant intensities (∼7 × 1014 W/cm2 at the quarter-critical surface, where nonlocal heat conduction and laser-plasma interactions can play an important role) but at lower values of IFAR ∼ 22 or at lower intensity (∼3 × 1014 W/cm2) but at a higher IFAR (IFAR ∼ 32, where shell instability can play an important role). PD geometry requires repointing of laser beams to improve shell symmetry. The higher-intensity designs optimize target performance by repointing beams to a lesser extent, compensating for the reduced equatorial drive by increasing the energies of the repointed beams. They also use custom beam profiles that improve equatorial illumination at the expense of irradiation at higher latitudes. These latter designs will be studied when new phase plates for the OMEGA Laser System, corresponding to the custom beam profiles, are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The OMEGA laser system is being used to investigate several approaches to inertial confinement fusion: the traditional central-hot-spot (CHS) ignition, fast ignition (FI), and shock ignition (SI). To achieve ignition, CHS requires the highly uniform compression of a solid deuterium–tritium (DT)-layered target on a low adiabat (defined as the ratio of the pressure to the Fermi-degenerate pressure) and with an implosion velocity Vimp \geq 3.5 \times 10^7\ \cm/s. A laser pulse shape with triple pickets is used to produce this low adiabat by optimally timing multiple shocks launched by the pickets and the main laser. Cryogenic targets that imploded optimally with such pulses have demonstrated near-design compression with an areal density \rho R \sim 290\ \mg/cm^2 at Vimp = 3.1 \times 10^7\ \cm/s. These are, by far, the highest DT areal densities demonstrated in the laboratory. SI experiments, where a shock is launched by a picket at the end of the laser pulse into the compressing capsule, have been performed on low-adiabat warm plastic targets. Both yield and areal density improve significantly when a spike is used at the end of the laser pulse, indicating that the energy from the shock is coupled into the compressing target. Integrated FI experiments have begun on the OMEGA/OMEGA EP laser system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent progress in direct-drive cryogenic implosions on the OMEGA Laser Facility [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] is reviewed. Ignition-relevant areal densities of ∼200 mg/cm2 in cryogenic D2 implosions with peak laser-drive intensities of ∼5×1014 W/cm2 were previously reported [T. C. Sangster et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 185006 (2008)]. The laser intensity is increased to ∼1015 W/cm2 to demonstrate ignition-relevant implosion velocities of 3–4×107 cm/s, providing an understanding of the relevant target physics. Planar-target acceleration experiments show the importance of the nonlocal electron-thermal-transport effects for modeling the laser drive. Nonlocal and hot-electron preheat is observed to stabilize the Rayleigh–Taylor growth at a peak drive intensity of ∼1015 W/cm2. The shell preheat caused by hot electrons generated by two-plasmon-decay instability was reduced by using Si-doped ablators. The measured compressibility of planar plastic targets driven with high-compression shaped pulses agrees well with one-dimensional simulations at these intensities. Shock mistiming has contributed to compression degradation of recent cryogenic implosions driven with continuous pulses. Multiple-picket (shock-wave) target designs make it possible for a more robust tuning of the shock-wave arrival times. Cryogenic implosions driven with double-picket pulses demonstrate somewhat improved compression performance at a peak drive intensity of ∼1015 W/cm2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of direct-drive-ignition target designs depends on two issues: the ability to maintain the main fuel adiabat at a low level and the control of the nonuniformity growth during the implosion. A series of experiments was performed on the OMEGA Laser System [T. R. Boehly, D. L. Brown, R. S. Craxton et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] to study the physics of low-adiabat, high-compression cryogenic fuel assembly. Modeling these experiments requires an accurate account for all sources of shell heating, including shock heating and suprathermal electron preheat. To increase calculation accuracy, a nonlocal heat-transport model was implemented in the 1D hydrocode. High-areal-density cryogenic fuel assembly with ρR>200 mg/cm2 [T. C. Sangster, V. N. Goncharov, P. B. Radha et al., “High-areal-density fuel assembly in direct-drive cryogenic implosions,” Phys. Rev. Lett. (submitted)] has been achieved on OMEGA in designs where the shock timing was optimized using the nonlocal treatment of the heat conduction and the suprathermal-electron preheat generated by the two-plasmon-decay instability was mitigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ignition target designs for inertial confinement fusion on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [W. J. Hogan et al., Nucl. Fusion 41, 567 (2001)] are based on a spherical ablator containing a solid, cryogenic-fuel layer of deuterium and tritium. The need for solid-fuel layers was recognized more than 30 years ago and considerable effort has resulted in the production of cryogenic targets that meet most of the critical fabrication tolerances for ignition on the NIF. At the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), the inner-ice surface of cryogenic DT capsules formed using β-layering meets the surface-smoothness requirement for ignition (<1-μm rms in all modes). Prototype x-ray-drive cryogenic targets being produced at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are nearing the tolerances required for ignition on the NIF. At LLE, these cryogenic DT (and D2) capsules are being imploded on the direct-drive 60-beam, 30-kJ UV OMEGA laser [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)]. The designs of these cryogenic targets for OMEGA are energy scaled from the baseline direct-drive-ignition design for the NIF. Significant progress with the formation and characterization of cryogenic targets for both direct and x-ray drive will be described. Results from recent cryogenic implosions will also be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) creates extreme states of matter. In current direct-drive cryogenic target implosions on the 60-beam OMEGA laser system, the compressed target has a measured pressure of 5 Gbar. These targets are hydrodynamically scaled from ignition targets for the National Ignition Facility. The ignition targets are predicted to have peak pressures of 3 Tbar after the target ignites. ICF target acceleration and deceleration are realized when hot, low-density plasma pushes against cold, high-density plasma, making the target implosion inherently susceptible to the Rayleigh–Taylor hydrodynamic instability (RTI). The unstable RTI growth causes mixing of cold, high-density shell plasma with the low-density, hot-spot plasma and reduces the primary neutron yield of the implosion. The strategy to control the RTI growth is to reduce the seeds (e.g., laser imprint and target-surface roughness) and the growth rates of the dominant modes. This paper reports on our recent experiments, progress in validating the hydrodynamics codes that are used to design future high-gain cryogenic DT targets, and techniques to improve target performance. A brief description is given of a new high energy petawatt laser – OMEGA EP (extended performance) – that is being added to the OMEGA compression facility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct-drive spherical implosions of cryogenic, D2-filled capsules are performed on the 60-beam OMEGA laser system [T. R. Boehly, D. L. Brown, R. S. Craxton, R. L. Keck, J. P. Knauer, J. H. Kelly, T. J. Kessler, S. A. Kumpan, S. J. Loucks, S. A. Letzring, F. J. Marshall, R. L. McCrory, S. F. B. Morse, W. Seka, J. M. Soures, and C. P. Verdon, Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)]. The targets are energy scaled from the base line ignition design developed for the National Ignition Facility [W. J. Hogan et al., Nucl. Fusion 41, 567 (2001)]. Thin-walled (∼4 μm), ∼860 μm diam deuterated polymer shells are permeation filled with D2 gas and cooled to the triple point (∼18.7 K). Cryogenic ice layers with a uniformity of ∼2 μm rms are formed and maintained. The targets are imploded with high-contrast pulse shapes with full single-beam smoothing (1 THz bandwidth, two-dimensional smoothing by spectral dispersion with polarization smoothing) to study the effects of the acceleration- and deceleration-phase Rayleigh–Taylor growth on target performance. Two-dimensional hydrocode simulations show good agreement with the experimental observations. Scattered-light and neutron-burn-history measurements are consistent with predicted absorption and hydrodynamic coupling calculations. Time-resolved and static x-ray images show the progress of the imploding shell, the shape, and temperature of the stagnating core. Particle-based instruments measure the fusion yield and rate, the ion temperature in the core, and the fuel areal density at the time of neutron production. These experiments have produced fuel areal densities of up to ∼100 mg/cm2, primary neutron yields of ∼4×1010, and secondary neutron yields of 1% to 2% of the primary yield. These results validate the hydrocode predictions for the direct-drive ignition-point design, giving increasing confidence in the direct-drive approach to inertial confinement fusion ignition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered and characterized cryogenic D2 capsules have been imploded using high-contrast pulse shapes on the 60-beam OMEGA laser at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)]. These experiments measure the sensitivity of the direct-drive implosion performance to parameters such as the inner-ice-surface roughness, the adiabat of the fuel during the implosion, and the laser power balance. The goal is to demonstrate a high neutron-averaged fuel ρR with low angular variance using a scaled, α∼3 ignition pulse shape driving a scaled all-DT ignition capsule. Results are reported with improvements in target layering and characterization and in laser pointing and target positioning on the OMEGA laser over previous experiments [T. C. Sangster et al., Phys. Plasmas 10, 1937 (2003)]. These capsules have been imploded using up to 23 kJ of 351-nm laser light with an on-target energy imbalance of less than 2% rms, full beam smoothing (1-THz bandwidth, two-dimensional smoothing by spectral dispersion, and polarization smoothing), and new, optimized, distributed phase plates. Pulse shapes include high-adiabat (∼25) square pulses and low-adiabat (<5) shaped pulses. The data from neutron and charged-particle diagnostics, as well as static and time-resolved x-ray images of the imploding core, are compared with one- and two-dimensional numerical simulations. Scaling of target performance to a weighted quadrature of inner-ice roughness at the end of the acceleration phase is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered and characterized cryogenic D[SUB2] capsules have been imploded using both low- and high-adiabat (α, the ratio of the electron pressure to the Fermi-degenerate pressure) pulse shapes on the 60-beam OMEGA laser system [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). These experiments measure the sensitivity of the direct-drive implosion performance to parameters such as the inner-ice-surface roughness, the adiabat of the cryogenic fuel during the implosion, the laser power balance, and the single-beam nonuniformity. The goal of the direct-drive program at LLE is to demonstrate a high neutron-averaged fuel ρR at a significant fraction of the predicted one-dimensional (1-D) neutron yield using an energy-scaled, low-adiabat (α ∼ 3) ignition pulse shape driving a hydrodynamically scaled deuterium-tritium ignition capsule. New results are reported from implosions of ∼ 920-μm-diam, thin (∼ 5 μm) polymer shells containing 100 μm D[SUB2]-ice layers with characterized inner-surface ice roughness of 3-12 μm rms. These capsules have been imploded using ∼17-23 kJ of 351 nm laser light with a beam-to-beam rms energy imbalance of less than 5% and full beam smoothing [1 THz bandwidth, two-dimensional (2-D) smoothing by spectral dispersion and polarization smoothing]. Near-1-D performance has been measured for a high-adiabat (α ∼ 25) drive pulse, and the implosion performance with a low-adiabat (α ∼ 4) pulse is in agreement with 2-D hydrocode predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Initial results from direct-drive spherical cryogenic target implosions on the 60-beam OMEGA laser system [T. R. Boehly, D. L. Brown, R. S. Craxton et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] are presented. These experiments are part of the scientific base leading to direct-drive ignition implosions planned for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [W. J. Hogan, E. I. Moses, B. E. Warner et al., Nucl. Fusion 41, 567 (2001)]. Polymer shells (1-mm diam with walls <3 μm) are filled with up to 1000 atm of D[sub 2] to provide 100-μm-thick ice layers. The ice layers are smoothed by IR heating with 3.16-μm laser light and are characterized using shadowgraphy. The targets are imploded by a 1-ns square pulse with up to ∼24 kJ of 351-nm laser light at a beam-to-beam rms energy balance of <3% and full-beam smoothing. Results shown include neutron yield, secondary neutron and proton yields, the time of peak neutron emission, and both time-integrated and time-resolved x-ray images of the imploding core. The experimental values are compared with 1-D numerical simulations. The target with an ice-layer nonuniformity of σ[sub rms]=9 μm showed 30% of the 1-D predicted neutron yield. These initial results are encouraging for future cryogenic implosions on OMEGA and the NIF. © 2002 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]