Experimental characterization of hot-electron emission and shock dynamics in the context of the shock ignition approach to inertial confinement fusion

Abstract

We report on planar target experiments conducted on the OMEGA-EP laser facility performed in the context of the shock ignition (SI) approach to inertial confinement fusion. The experiment aimed at characterizing the propagation of strong shock in matter and the generation of hot electrons (HEs), with laser parameters relevant to SI (1-ns UV laser beams with I ∼1016 W/cm2). Time-resolved radiographs of the propagating shock front were performed in order to study the hydrodynamic evolution. The hot-electron source was characterized in terms of Maxwellian temperature, Th, and laser to hot-electron energy conversion efficiency η using data from different X-ray spectrometers. The post-processing of these data gives a range of the possible values for Th and η [i.e., T h [keV] a (20, 50) and η a (2%, 13%)]. These values are used as input in hydrodynamic simulations to reproduce the results obtained in radiographs, thus constraining the range for the HE measurements. According to this procedure, we found that the laser converts ∼10% ± 4% of energy into hot electrons with Th = 27 ± 8 keV. The paper shows how the coupling of different diagnostics and numerical tools is required to sufficiently constrain the problem, solving the large ambiguity coming from the post-processing of spectrometers data. The effect of the hot electrons on the shock dynamics is then discussed, showing an increase in the pressure around the shock front. The low temperature found in this experiment without pre-compression laser pulses could be advantageous for the SI scheme, but the high conversion efficiency may lead to an increase in the shell adiabat, with detrimental effects on the implosion.

Metadata

Item Type:

Article

Authors/Creators:

Tentori, A.
Colaitis, A.
Theobald, W.
Casner, A.
Raffestin, D.
Ruocco, A.
Trela, J.
Le Bel, E.
Anderson, K.
Wei, M.
Henderson, B.
Peebles, J.
Scott, R. (rs1670@york.ac.uk)
Baton, S.
Pikuz, S. A.
Betti, R.
Khan, M.
Woolsey, N. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2444-9027
Zhang, S.
Batani, D.

© 2021 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details Funding Information: This material is based on the work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award No. DE-NA0003856, the University of Rochester, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the U.S. Government. Neither the U.S. Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Government or any agency thereof. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Author(s).

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