University of Colorado at Boulder
The Physics of Heavy-Ion Driven Hohlraum Targets
Max Tabak, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Inertial fusion target physics draws on a number of disciplines each with extensive literature. This course will introduce these areas and integrate them into some specific heavy-ion-fusion target designs. The course begins with a discussion of ignition conditions and burn efficiency. This is followed with the implosion dynamics required to assemble the igniting fuel. The effects of hydrodynamic instabilities and asymmetric illumination are then discussed. The equation-of-state, opacity and stopping power of various materials underlie our dynamical calculations. A short introduction to these topics will be provided. Hohlraum physics including simple wall loss and radiation transport models will be included. Finally, all of these topics will be integrated in specific designs. Prerequisites: Electromagnetism and Quantum Mechanics at the senior level.