Shock Ignition campaigns on OMEGA: comparison with experiments and future perspectives

Recently, Shock Ignition (SI) scheme has prompted both theoretical studies [1,2] and experimental campaigns [3]. SI experiments have been carried out at the OMEGA Laser Facility [4] in spherical geometry to study performances at intensities relevant to shock ignition. First restitutions from CHIC hydrodynamic calculations and PIC simulations allow a deeper understanding of critical parameters as implosion symmetry, shocks propagation, neutron production and light reflectivity. The analysis of results suggests several improvements of the pulse shape and target design for future experiments. \\[4pt] [1] R. Betti et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{98}, 155001 (2007) \\[0pt] [2] M. Lafon et al., Phys. Plasmas \textbf{17}, 052704 (2010) \\[0pt] [3] W. Theobald et al., Phys. Plasmas \textbf{15}, 056306 (2008) \\[0pt] [4] W. Theobald\textit{, Private communication }(2010)