Fast heating of ultrahigh-density plasma as a step towards laser fusion ignition

被引:861
作者
Kodama, R
Norreys, PA
Mima, K
Dangor, AE
Evans, RG
Fujita, H
Kitagawa, Y
Krushelnick, K
Miyakoshi, T
Miyanaga, N
Norimatsu, T
Rose, SJ
Shozaki, T
Shigemori, K
Sunahara, A
Tampo, M
Tanaka, KA
Toyama, Y
Yamanaka, Y
Zepf, M
机构
[1] Osaka Univ, Inst Laser Engn, Suita, Osaka 5650871, Japan
[2] Rutherford Appleton Lab, Didcot OX11 0QX, Oxon, England
[3] Univ London Imperial Coll Sci Technol & Med, Blackett Lab, London SW7 2BZ, England
[4] Univ York, Dept Phys, York YO1 5DD, N Yorkshire, England
[5] Osaka Univ, Fac Engn, Suita, Osaka 5650871, Japan
关键词
D O I
10.1038/35090525
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Modern high-power lasers can generate extreme states of matter that are relevant to astrophysics(1), equation-of-state studies(2) and fusion energy research(3,4). Laser-driven implosions of spherical polymer shells have, for example, achieved an increase in density of 1,000 times relative to the solid state(5). These densities are large enough to enable controlled fusion, but to achieve energy gain a small volume of compressed fuel (known as the 'spark') must be heated to temperatures of about 10(8) K (corresponding to thermal energies in excess of 10 keV). In the conventional approach to controlled fusion, the spark is both produced and heated by accurately timed shock waves(4), but this process requires both precise implosion symmetry and a very large drive energy. In principle, these requirements can be significantly relaxed by performing the compression and fast heating separately(6-10); however, this 'fast ignitor' approach(7) also suffers drawbacks, such as propagation losses and deflection of the ultra-intense laser pulse by the plasma surrounding the compressed fuel. Here we employ a new compression geometry that eliminates these problems; we combine production of compressed matter in a laser-driven implosion with picosecond-fast heating by a laser pulse timed to coincide with the peak compression. Our approach therefore permits efficient compression and heating to be carried out simultaneously, providing a route to efficient fusion energy production.
引用
收藏
页码:798 / 802
页数:6
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