Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 4, S1001 (2009)

Rapid Communications


Advanced Target Design for the FIREX-I Project
Hiroshi AZECHI, Mitsuo NAKAI, Hirofumi HOMMA, Tomoyuki JOHZAKI, Mayuko KOGA, Kunioki MIMA, Noriaki MIYANAGA, Masakatsu MURAKAMI, Hideo NAGATOMO, Keiji NAGAI, Tatsufumi NAKAMURA, Katsunobu NISHIHARA, Hiroaki NISHIMURA, Takayoshi NORIMATSU, Youichi SAKAWA, Keisuke SHIGEMORI, Hiroyuki SHIRAGA, Akifumi IWAMOTO1), Toshiyuki MITO1), Hitoshi SAKAGAMI1), Osamu MOTOJIMA1), Ryosuke KODAMA2), Kazuo A. TANAKA2) and Atsushi SUNAHARA3)
Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, 2-6 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
1)
National Institute for Fusion Science, Oroshi-cho, Toki, Gifu 509-5292, Japan
2)
Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
3)
Institute for Laser Technology, Osaka University, 2-6 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
(Received 17 February 2009 / Accepted 25 May 2009 / Published 9 September 2009)

Abstract

Cryogenically cooled foam shells with deuterium and tritium fuels are expected to be utilized in the fast ignition realization experiment project of ILE, Osaka University, to demonstrate efficient heating of properly compressed fuel plasmas. These targets consist of a foam shell with solid fuel and a conical light guide for additional heating with an ultra-high intensity laser beam, in accordance with previous preliminary experiments [R. Kodama et al., Nature 412, 798 (2001).] Recent theoretical predictions and elemental experiments have suggested some advanced modifications to enhance the coupling efficiency of fast heating and improve implosion performance. The five major points of these improvements are as follows: 1) use of a low-Z foam layer on the inner surface of the cone; 2) use of a double-layered cone as a light guide; 3) use of a low-Z plastic layer on the outer surface of the cone; 4) adding a Br-doped plastic ablator to the fuel capsule; and 5) evacuation of the target center.


Keywords

fast ignition, FIREX project, inertial fusion, cryogenic foam shell target

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.4.S1001


References

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This paper should be cited as follows:

Hiroshi AZECHI, Mitsuo NAKAI, Hirofumi HOMMA, Tomoyuki JOHZAKI, Mayuko KOGA, Kunioki MIMA, Noriaki MIYANAGA, Masakatsu MURAKAMI, Hideo NAGATOMO, Keiji NAGAI, Tatsufumi NAKAMURA, Katsunobu NISHIHARA, Hiroaki NISHIMURA, Takayoshi NORIMATSU, Youichi SAKAWA, Keisuke SHIGEMORI, Hiroyuki SHIRAGA, Akifumi IWAMOTO, Toshiyuki MITO, Hitoshi SAKAGAMI, Osamu MOTOJIMA, Ryosuke KODAMA, Kazuo A. TANAKA and Atsushi SUNAHARA, Plasma Fusion Res. 4, S1001 (2009).