Indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion using highly supersonic, radiatively cooled, plasma slugs

Phys Rev Lett. 2002 Jun 10;88(23):235001. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.235001. Epub 2002 May 21.

Abstract

We present a new approach to indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion which makes use of highly supersonic, radiatively cooled, slugs of plasma to energize a hohlraum. 2D resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations of slug formation in shaped liner Z-pinch implosions are presented along with 2D-radiation-hydrodynamic simulations of the slug impacting a converter foil and 3D-view-factor simulations of a double-ended hohlraum. Results for the Z facility at Sandia National Laboratory indicate that two synchronous slugs of 250 kJ kinetic energy could be produced, resulting in a capsule surface temperature of approximately 225 eV.