Experimental measurements of yield amplification in burning and near-ignited plasmas

POSTER

Abstract

Previous design changes of inertial confinement fusion implosions have led to MJ-range production of fusion yield on the National Ignition Facility. These fusion plasmas have significant self-heating due to alpha-particle energy deposition, and exhibit non-trivial burn propagation into the dense DT-ice fuel layer. This self-heating drives additional yield production, termed "yield amplification", and ultimately leads to a runaway phenomenon. This process has been observed in several recent HYBRID-E target designs, notably the shot N210808 and its precursor N210307. In order to quantify the performance gain due to this yield amplification, we conducted a pair of experiments replicating those two burning-plasma shots but using a fuel layer dudded with hydrogen which effectively "turns off" the yield amplification. Results from this set of burn-on and burn-off implosions will be presented and discussed, and briefly compared with post-shot simulations and modeling. Values for the yield amplification of N210808 and N210307 will be presented, and we'll discuss trends in the no-alpha DSR with yield-amplification.

*This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. LLNL-ABS-836704.

Presenters

  • Dave J Schlossberg

    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

Authors

  • Dave J Schlossberg

    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Alison R Christopherson

    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
    • LLNL

  • Stephan A MacLaren

    • LLNL
    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab
    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Alex B Zylstra

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Annie L Kritcher

    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Omar A Hurricane

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Bogdan Kustowski

    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
    • Lawrence Livermore National Lab
    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Otto L Landen

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Arthur Pak

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Joseph E Ralph

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Steven S Ross

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab
    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Benjamin Bachmann

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Kevin L Baker

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Richard M Bionta

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Noah W Birge

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory

  • Daniel T Casey

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Laurent Divol

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab
    • LLNL

  • David N Fittinghoff

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Maria Gatu-Johnson

    • MIT
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology MI
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  • Edward P Hartouni

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab
    • LLNL

  • Matthias Hohenberger

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Shahab Khan

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Alastair S Moore

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Katya Newman

    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Michael S Rubery

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab
    • LLNL
    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Chris Weber

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Christopher V Young

    • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab