Session RO2 - Fast Ignition/Warm Dense Matter.
ORAL session, Thursday afternoon, October 30
Dona Ana/Cimarron, ACC

[RO2.013] Genuine Two-Fluid Computations of PW-ps Laser Interaction with Plasma for the Block Ignitor

One modification of the fast ignitor is the block ignitor [1] for laser fusion similar to the Nuckolls-Wood scheme [2]where PW-ps laser pulses ignite nearly uncompressed solid DT fuel generating more than 100 MJ fusion energy from 10 kJ laser pulses using relativistic electron beams. Instead of the complexities of the electron beams, the block ignition uses nearly sub-relativistic ions produced by the nonlinear forces in the new skin layer interaction scheme. It is essential that the prepulses are carefully controlled in the skin layer interaction where a ten wavelength thick corona needs a swelling by a factor of about 5. The numerical treatment is using the genuine two-fluid model where simultaneously the stochastic pulsation is suppressed by smoothing.

[1] Heinrich Hora, Hansheng Peng, Weiyan Zhang, Frederick Osman, SPIE Proceedings 4914, 37 (2002); F. Osman et al IAEA Fusion Energy Conf., Lyon Oct. 2002 IAEA-CN-94/IF/P-10 [2] J.L. Nuckolls et al, Preprint UCRL-JC-14860, www.llnl.gov/tid/Library.html

Part R of program listing