First demonstration of improved yield with reduced adiabat in inertial confinement fusion implosions on the National Ignition Facility

Laser-driven, indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) recently achieved a target gain greater than one, where fusion energy output exceeds input laser energy [Abu-Shawareb et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 065102 (2024)]. Despite this milestone, gain levels remain insufficient for practical applications such as inertial fusion energy, making performance improvement critical. One promising approach is increasing fuel compression by lowering the implosion adiabat. To explore reduced adiabat, experiments were conducted modifying the laser pulse shape and shock timing of an existing 1.9-MJ-drive implosion design performing near the ignition cliff [Abu-Shawareb et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 075001 (2022)]. These experiments demonstrated increased compression and fusion yield in ICF implosions at the NIF by using a lower fuel adiabat, and increased compression with a reduced adiabat in high-density carbon ablators. The updated design achieved up to 80% higher fusion yield and 14% greater fuel compression compared to the previous best-performing 1.9-MJ experiment, with repeatable performance, and is the only implosion design to achieve a target gain exceeding one with < 2.04 MJ laser energy. Notably, this work was made possible because of recent advances in target quality and pulse shape control allowing experimental access to the ignition regime, and thereby increased sensitivity to adiabat. This work addresses a long-standing question in ICF research and lays the foundation for higher target gains through optimized implosion strategies. It underscores the potential of reduced adiabat designs to enhance compression and fusion yields for future ICF applications.

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Journal
Physics of Plasmas
Published
2025-12-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0271572
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.87
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article

First demonstration of improved yield with reduced adiabat in inertial confinement fusion implosions on the National Ignition Facility

T. Chapman, J. E. Ralph, B. N. Woodworth, T. Fehrenbach et al.
1 citations
Physics of Plasmas
Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics
1.87
article

First demonstration of improved yield with reduced adiabat in inertial confinement fusion implosions on the National Ignition Facility

T. Chapman, J. E. Ralph, B. N. Woodworth, T. Fehrenbach, S. F. Khan, Maria Gatu Johnson, V. E. Fatherley, C. V. Young, D. J. Schlossberg, M. S. Rubery, A. Nikroo, M. Millot, Stanislav Stoupin, T. M. Briggs, Kelly Hahn, Michael Stadermann, C. R. Danly, A. Allen, A. S. Moore, S. A. MacLaren, M. S. Freeman, C. H. Wilde, L. Divol, T. Braun, A. Pak, Bradley T. Wolfe, C. Trosseille, O. L. Landen, Mora Durocher, T. Döppner, B. Bachmann, M. Ratledge, M. P. Selwood, A. B. Zylstra, B. Kozioziemski, C. R. Weber, A. Do, Juergen Biener, Sean Hayes, A. L. Kritcher, M. Hohenberger, R. Tommasini, R. Nora, Salmaan H. Baxamusa, D. T. Casey, C. Kong, Kelli Humbird, S. W. Haan, T. R. Dittrich, C. Wild, B. J. MacGowan, R. M. Bionta, D. S. Clark, Gary Saavedra, O. A. Hurricane
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Laser-driven, indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) recently achieved a target gain greater than one, where fusion energy output exceeds input laser energy [Abu-Shawareb et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 065102 (2024)]. Despite this milestone, gain levels remain insufficient for practical applications such as inertial fusion energy, making performance improvement critical. One promising approach is increasing fuel compression by lowering the implosion adiabat. To explore reduced adiabat, experiments were conducted modifying the laser pulse shape and shock timing of an existing 1.9-MJ-drive implosion design performing near the ignition cliff [Abu-Shawareb et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 075001 (2022)]. These experiments demonstrated increased compression and fusion yield in ICF implosions at the NIF by using a lower fuel adiabat, and increased compression with a reduced adiabat in high-density carbon ablators. The updated design achieved up to 80% higher fusion yield and 14% greater fuel compression compared to the previous best-performing 1.9-MJ experiment, with repeatable performance, and is the only implosion design to achieve a target gain exceeding one with < 2.04 MJ laser energy. Notably, this work was made possible because of recent advances in target quality and pulse shape control allowing experimental access to the ignition regime, and thereby increased sensitivity to adiabat. This work addresses a long-standing question in ICF research and lays the foundation for higher target gains through optimized implosion strategies. It underscores the potential of reduced adiabat designs to enhance compression and fusion yields for future ICF applications.

Physics of PlasmasVol. 32(12)
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (US), Los Alamos National Laboratory (US), Diamond Materials (Germany) (DE), General Atomics (United States) (US), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics
1.87
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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