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Development of Direct Drive, High-Gain Capsules for Inertial Fusion: A Materials Challenge*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2013

J. H. Campbell
J. H. Campbell*
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
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Abstract:

The application of Inertial Confinement Fusion to power production requires the development of a high-yield fusion capsule. Theoretical design calculations suggest that a single shell capsule with a uniformly distributed deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel layer on the inside surface could give the desired high-gain performance when directly driven with 0.35 μm laser light. This design requires operation at cryogenic temperatures necessary to condense DT (20-30 K) and a means of levitating the fuel layer inside the capsule. On e recently suggested method for making this capsule is to use a rigid foam matrix to support the condensed DT in a spherical shell configuration. For such a capsule to be successfully fielded, a number of critical materials problems must be solved.

Type
Technical Features
Information
MRS Bulletin , Volume 11 , Issue 5 , October 1986 , pp. 26 - 29
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1986

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Footnotes

*

Work performed under the auspices of the U. S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract number W-7405-ENG-48.

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