Optimization Methodology of Polar Direct-Drive Illumination for the National Ignition Facility
Improved laser illumination uniformity drives shocks and implosions to create more extreme high energy density environments. Predominantly, the geometry of experiments that can be performed is dictated by the layout of beams at laser facilities, limiting interfacility and multiscale investigations. This Letter presents the first automated, algorithmic approach for generating illumination configurations for high energy density experiments. The method is demonstrated in comparison to a polar direct-drive solid target experiment at the National Ignition Facility. The new illumination configuration is simulated to create greater than ×3 higher peak pressure and almost ×2 higher density by maintaining better shock uniformity. The optimization process is performed with reduced computational expense and isotropic plasma profiles while accounting for the impact of cross-beam energy transfer.
Authors
- T. Chapman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7404-0927)
- V. N. Goncharov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2730-1666)
- D. Viala (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0966-8472)
- Duncan Barlow (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2851-4815)
- M. J. Rosenberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9924-304X)
- L. Ceurvorst (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4215-3326)
- R. H. H. Scott (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3841-3666)
- I. V. Igumenshchev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5495-8503)
- R. S. Craxton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5885-8227)
- M. J. V. Streeter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9086-9831)
- K. Glize (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7393-7449)
- Julien Mathiaud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4188-8144)
- A. Colaïtis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4913-1653)
- W. Theobald (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0414-9999)
- P. B. Radha
Institutions
- Queen's University Belfast (GB)
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (US)
- Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (GB)
- Université de Bordeaux (FR)
- Energetics (United States) (US)
- Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications (FR)
- Centre Émile Durkheim (FR)
- University of Rochester (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Physical Review Letters
- Published
- 2024-10-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.133.175101
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.64
Funders
- U.S. Department of Energy
- University of Rochester
- EUROfusion
- Royal Society
- European Commission
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
- Université de Bordeaux
- Grand Équipement National De Calcul Intensif
- National Nuclear Security Administration
- Euratom Research and Training Programme