Shock-ignition effect in indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion approach.

Shock-ignition effect in indirect-drive thermonuclear target is demonstrated on the base of numerical simulations. Thermonuclear gain (in relation to laser pulse energy) of a shock-ignited indirect-drive thermonuclear capsule is obtained, which is 22.5 times higher than that at a traditional spark ignition of the capsule with the same DT-fuel mass, wherein the shock-ignition laser pulse energy is 1.5 times less than the energy of a laser pulse at traditional spark ignition. To implement the shock-ignition effect in indirect-drive target, a rapid increase in radiation temperature is required over several hundred picoseconds at the final stage of thermonuclear capsule implosion. The ability of such a rapid response of radiation temperature to variation in the intensity of an x-ray-producing laser pulse is the main factor in the uncertainty of the degree of manifestation of the shock-ignition effect in an indirect-drive target. This circumstance, first of all, requires experimental study.

Proton-boron fusion in a compact scheme of plasma oscillatory confinement.

We present the results of experiments on the aneutronic fusion of proton-boron (pB) in a single miniature device with electrodynamic (oscillatory) plasma confinement. The device is based on a low energy (∼1-2 J) nanosecond vacuum discharge with a virtual cathode, the field of which accelerates protons and boron ions to the energies required for pB synthesis (∼100-300 keV) under oscillating ions' head-on collisions. The yields of α particles registered for different conditions of the experiment are presented and discussed in detail. The experiment was preceded by particle-in-cell modeling of main processes accompanying pB reaction within the framework of the full electromagnetic code karat. The summary yield of α particles of about 5×10^{4}/4π was obtained during the pulse-periodic operation of the generator within total 4µs of the high voltage applied, which is ∼10α particles/ns.

Magnetized plasma implosion in a snail target driven by a moderate-intensity laser pulse.

Optical generation of compact magnetized plasma structures is studied in the moderate intensity domain. A sub-ns laser beam irradiated snail-shaped targets with the intensity of about 1016 W/cm2. With a neat optical diagnostics, a sub-megagauss magnetized plasmoid is traced inside the target. On the observed hydrodynamic time scale, the hot plasma formation achieves a theta-pinch-like density and magnetic field distribution, which implodes into the target interior. This simple and elegant plasma magnetization scheme in the moderate-intensity domain is of particular interest for fundamental astrophysical-related studies and for development of future technologies.