Session oThaO1 - Oral Session: Hohlraums.
MIXED session, Thursday morning, November 20
South 11 & 12, Convention Center
Modelling of the implosion dynamics of a capsule irradiated by an asymmetric x-ray drive is a taxing problem for radiation-hydrocodes. We present preliminary experimental data along with detailed modelling of capsule implosions in which a one-sided x-ray source geometry was adopted. A thin-shelled low-Z pellet was suspended in a gold cavity (or `secondary hohlraum') attached to a standard HELEN hohlraum with a peak brightness temperature of 140eV. 2D x-ray radiography was used to diagnose the degree and shape of the implosion. Detailed calculations from the 2D radiation-hydrocode NYM and a time-dependent, 3D viewfactor code will be presented. Post-processing of these simulations will address the sensitivity of the available diagnostics to the implosion dynamics. The use of a simple shimmed liner on the pellet will be shown to be able to compensate for the asymmetric illumination. The robustness of these calculations will be assessed in comparison to changes in capsule and hohlraum design.