Integrated thermodynamic model for ignition target performance

¹ LLNL, Livermore, CA, USA
² LANL Los Alamos, NM, USA
³ MIT, Cambridge, Ma, USA
⁴ Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Rochester, NY, USA

Published online: 15 November 2013

Abstract

We have derived a 3-dimensional synthetic model for NIF implosion conditions, by predicting and optimizing fits to a broad set of x-ray and nuclear diagnostics obtained on each shot. By matching x-ray images, burn width, neutron time-of-flight ion temperature, yield, and fuel ρr, we obtain nearly unique constraints on conditions in the hotspot and fuel in a model that is entirely consistent with the observables. This model allows us to determine hotspot density, pressure, areal density (ρr), total energy, and other ignition-relevant parameters not available from any single diagnostic. This article describes the model and its application to National Ignition Facility (NIF) tritium–hydrogen–deuterium (THD) and DT implosion data, and provides an explanation for the large yield and ρr degradation compared to numerical code predictions.