Computational Modeling of the Target Mounting Stalk in Direct-drive Implosions

The effect of the target-mounting stalk on the symmetry and performance of directly driven inertial confinement implosions has been a topic of open debate. Previous simulations have predicted up to 50% yield degradation caused by the presence of the stalk mount,[1][2] whereas experiments typically have shown little effect except when combined with target offset.[3] The stalk may contribute to implosion nonuniformity both via a mass perturbation arising from the stalk itself and the glue spot used to attach the stalk to the capsule, as well as through a shadowing of the laser beams incident on the capsule surface. We will investigate the impact of the mounting stalk through HYDRA simulations of OMEGA cryogenic implosions. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0003856.

 

[1] I. V. Igumenshchev et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 082701 (2009).

[2] B. M. Haines et al., Phys. Plasmas 23, 072709 (2016).

[3] M. Gatu Johnson et al., Phys. Plasmas 27, 032704 (2020).