Degradation of radiatively driven inertial confinement fusion capsule implosions by multifluid interpenetration mixing

The observed degradation of radiatively driven single shell capsule yield with increasing convergence ratio can be quantitatively understood by mixing between the gaseous deuterium-tritium (DT) or deuterium (DD) and the pusher. Calculations using a multifluid interpenetration mix model can replicate the performance of experiments at the NOVA [C. Bibeau , Appl. Opt. 31, 5799 (1992)] and OMEGA [T. R. Boehly , Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] lasers, using a single fitting parameter, a mixing length ratio. When mix is similarly treated at the ablator-solid DT interface, cryogenic single shell ignition capsules for the National Ignition Facility [J. A. Paisner, E. M. Campbell, and W. J. Hogan, Fusion Technol. 26, 755 (1994)] and the Laser Mega Joule [ P. A. Holstein , Laser Part. Beams 17, 403 (1999)] calculate to ignite and burn with gains of several due to isolation of the ignition hot spot from the pusher material. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.