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Sano T, Fujioka S, Mori Y, Mima K, Sentoku Y. Thermonuclear fusion triggered by collapsing standing whistler waves in magnetized overdense plasmas. Phys Rev E 2020; 101:013206. [PMID: 32069605 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.101.013206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Thermal fusion plasmas initiated by standing whistler waves are investigated numerically by two- and one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. When a standing whistler wave collapses due to the wave breaking of ion plasma waves, the energy of the electromagnetic waves transfers directly to the ion kinetic energy. Here we find that ion heating by use of standing whistler waves is operational even in multidimensional simulations of multi-ion species targets, such as deuterium-tritium (DT) ices and solid ammonia borane (H_{6}BN). The energy conversion efficiency to ions becomes as high as 15% of the injected laser energy, which depends significantly on the target thickness and laser pulse duration. The ion temperature could reach a few tens of keV or much higher if appropriate laser-plasma conditions are selected. DT fusion plasmas generated by this method must be useful as efficient neutron sources. Our numerical simulations suggest that the neutron generation efficiency exceeds 10^{9} n/J per steradian, which is beyond the current achievements of the state-of-the-art laser experiments. Standing whistler-wave heating would expand the experimental possibility for an alternative ignition design of magnetically confined laser fusion and also for more difficult fusion reactions, including the aneutronic proton-boron reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayoshi Sano
- Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Fujioka
- Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Mori
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-1202, Japan
| | - Kunioki Mima
- Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-1202, Japan
| | - Yasuhiko Sentoku
- Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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2
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Mori Y, Nishimura Y, Ishii K, Hanayama R, Kitagawa Y, Sekine T, Takeuchi Y, Satoh N, Kurita T, Kato Y, Kurita N, Kawashima T, Komeda O, Hioki T, Motohiro T, Sunahara A, Sentoku Y, Miura E, Iwamoto A, Sakagami H. 1-Hz Bead-Pellet Injection System for Fusion Reaction Engaged by a Laser HAMA Using Ultra-Intense Counter Beams. FUSION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/15361055.2018.1499393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yoshitaka Mori
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, 1955-1 Kurematsu-cho, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-1202, Japan
| | - Yasuhiko Nishimura
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, 1955-1 Kurematsu-cho, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-1202, Japan
- Toyota Technical Development Corp., 1-21 Imae, Hanamoto-cho, Toyota, Aichi, 470-0334, Japan
| | - Katsuhiro Ishii
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, 1955-1 Kurematsu-cho, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-1202, Japan
| | - Ryohei Hanayama
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, 1955-1 Kurematsu-cho, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-1202, Japan
| | - Yoneyoshi Kitagawa
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, 1955-1 Kurematsu-cho, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-1202, Japan
| | - Takashi Sekine
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K., 1820 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - Yasuki Takeuchi
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K., 1820 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - Nakahiro Satoh
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K., 1820 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - Takashi Kurita
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K., 1820 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Kato
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K., 1820 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - Norio Kurita
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K., 1820 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Kawashima
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K., 1820 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - Osamu Komeda
- Toyota Motor Corporation, Advanced Material Engineering Division, 1200 Mishuku, Susono, Shizuoka 410-1193, Japan
| | - Tatsumi Hioki
- Nagoya University, Green Mobility Research Institute, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Tomoyoshi Motohiro
- Nagoya University, Green Mobility Research Institute, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Atsushi Sunahara
- Purdue University, Center for Materials Under Extreme Environment (CMUXE), 500 Centra Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
| | - Yasuhiko Sentoku
- Osaka University, Institute for Laser Engineering, Suita, Osaka, 565-0802, Japan
| | - Eisuke Miura
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan
| | - Akifumi Iwamoto
- National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi Toki, Gifu 509-5292, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Sakagami
- National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi Toki, Gifu 509-5292, Japan
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3
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Ren G, Yan J, Liu J, Lan K, Chen YH, Huo WY, Fan Z, Zhang X, Zheng J, Chen Z, Jiang W, Chen L, Tang Q, Yuan Z, Wang F, Jiang S, Ding Y, Zhang W, He XT. Neutron Generation by Laser-Driven Spherically Convergent Plasma Fusion. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2017; 118:165001. [PMID: 28474938 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.118.165001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We investigate a new laser-driven spherically convergent plasma fusion scheme (SCPF) that can produce thermonuclear neutrons stably and efficiently. In the SCPF scheme, laser beams of nanosecond pulse duration and 10^{14}-10^{15} W/cm^{2} intensity uniformly irradiate the fuel layer lined inside a spherical hohlraum. The fuel layer is ablated and heated to expand inwards. Eventually, the hot fuel plasmas converge, collide, merge, and stagnate at the central region, converting most of their kinetic energy to internal energy, forming a thermonuclear fusion fireball. With the assumptions of steady ablation and adiabatic expansion, we theoretically predict the neutron yield Y_{n} to be related to the laser energy E_{L}, the hohlraum radius R_{h}, and the pulse duration τ through a scaling law of Y_{n}∝(E_{L}/R_{h}^{1.2}τ^{0.2})^{2.5}. We have done experiments at the ShengGuangIII-prototype facility to demonstrate the principle of the SCPF scheme. Some important implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Ren
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100088, China
| | - J Yan
- Research Center of Laser Fusion, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - J Liu
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100088, China
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - K Lan
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100088, China
| | - Y H Chen
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100088, China
| | - W Y Huo
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100088, China
| | - Z Fan
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100088, China
| | - X Zhang
- Research Center of Laser Fusion, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - J Zheng
- Research Center of Laser Fusion, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - Z Chen
- Research Center of Laser Fusion, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - W Jiang
- Research Center of Laser Fusion, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - L Chen
- Research Center of Laser Fusion, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - Q Tang
- Research Center of Laser Fusion, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - Z Yuan
- Research Center of Laser Fusion, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - F Wang
- Research Center of Laser Fusion, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - S Jiang
- Research Center of Laser Fusion, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - Y Ding
- Research Center of Laser Fusion, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
| | - W Zhang
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100088, China
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - X T He
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100088, China
- Center for Applied Physics and Technology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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4
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Ratan N, Sircombe NJ, Ceurvorst L, Sadler J, Kasim MF, Holloway J, Levy MC, Trines R, Bingham R, Norreys PA. Dense plasma heating by crossing relativistic electron beams. Phys Rev E 2017; 95:013211. [PMID: 28208312 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.95.013211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Here we investigate, using relativistic fluid theory and Vlasov-Maxwell simulations, the local heating of a dense plasma by two crossing electron beams. Heating occurs as an instability of the electron beams drives Langmuir waves, which couple nonlinearly into damped ion-acoustic waves. Simulations show a factor 2.8 increase in electron kinetic energy with a coupling efficiency of 18%. Our results support applications to the production of warm dense matter and as a driver for inertial fusion plasmas.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Ratan
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - N J Sircombe
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, United Kingdom.,AWE plc. Aldermaston, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 4PR, United Kingdom.,Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - L Ceurvorst
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - J Sadler
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - M F Kasim
- John Adams Institute, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, United Kingdom
| | - J Holloway
- John Adams Institute, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, United Kingdom
| | - M C Levy
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - R Trines
- STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - R Bingham
- STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom.,Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G4 0NG, United Kingdom
| | - P A Norreys
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, United Kingdom.,STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
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5
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Mori Y, Nishimura Y, Hanayama R, Nakayama S, Ishii K, Kitagawa Y, Sekine T, Sato N, Kurita T, Kawashima T, Kan H, Komeda O, Nishi T, Azuma H, Hioki T, Motohiro T, Sunahara A, Sentoku Y, Miura E. Fast Heating of Imploded Core with Counterbeam Configuration. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2016; 117:055001. [PMID: 27517775 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.117.055001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A tailored-pulse-imploded core with a diameter of 70 μm is flashed by counterirradiating 110 fs, 7 TW laser pulses. Photon emission (>40 eV) from the core exceeds the emission from the imploded core by 6 times, even though the heating pulse energies are only one seventh of the implosion energy. The coupling efficiency from the heating laser to the core using counterirradiation is 14% from the enhancement of photon emission. Neutrons are also produced by counterpropagating fast deuterons accelerated by the photon pressure of the heating pulses. A collisional two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation reveals that the collisionless two counterpropagating fast-electron currents induce mega-Gauss magnetic filaments in the center of the core due to the Weibel instability. The counterpropagating fast-electron currents are absolutely unstable and independent of the core density and resistivity. Fast electrons with energy below a few MeV are trapped by these filaments in the core region, inducing an additional coupling. This might lead to the observed bright photon emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Mori
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, 1955-1 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - Y Nishimura
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, 1955-1 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - R Hanayama
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, 1955-1 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - S Nakayama
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, 1955-1 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - K Ishii
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, 1955-1 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - Y Kitagawa
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, 1955-1 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - T Sekine
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K. 1820 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - N Sato
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K. 1820 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - T Kurita
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K. 1820 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - T Kawashima
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K. 1820 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - H Kan
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K. 1820 Kurematsuchou, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - O Komeda
- Advanced Material Engineering Division, Toyota Motor Corporation, 1200 Mishuku, Susono, Shizuoka 410-1193, Japan
| | - T Nishi
- Toyota Central Research and Development Laboratories, Inc., 41-1 Yokomichi, Nagakute, Aichi 480-1192, Japan
| | - H Azuma
- Aichi Synchrotron Radiation Center, Minamiyamaguchi-cho, Seto-shi, Aichi-ken 489-0965, Japan
| | - T Hioki
- Green Mobility Collaborative Research Center, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - T Motohiro
- Green Mobility Collaborative Research Center, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - A Sunahara
- Institute for Laser Technology, 1-8-4 Utsubo-honmachi, Nishi-ku, Osaka 550-0004, Japan
| | - Y Sentoku
- Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
| | - E Miura
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan
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6
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Kitagawa Y, Mori Y, Komeda O, Ishii K, Hanayama R, Fujita K, Okihara S, Sekine T, Satoh N, Kurita T, Takagi M, Watari T, Kawashima T, Kan H, Nishimura Y, Sunahara A, Sentoku Y, Nakamura N, Kondo T, Fujine M, Azuma H, Motohiro T, Hioki T, Kakeno M, Miura E, Arikawa Y, Nagai T, Abe Y, Ozaki S, Noda A. Direct heating of a laser-imploded core by ultraintense laser-driven ions. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2015; 114:195002. [PMID: 26024175 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.114.195002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2013] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
A novel direct core heating fusion process is introduced, in which a preimploded core is predominantly heated by energetic ions driven by LFEX, an extremely energetic ultrashort pulse laser. Consequently, we have observed the D(d,n)^{3}He-reacted neutrons (DD beam-fusion neutrons) with the yield of 5×10^{8} n/4π sr. Examination of the beam-fusion neutrons verified that the ions directly collide with the core plasma. While the hot electrons heat the whole core volume, the energetic ions deposit their energies locally in the core, forming hot spots for fuel ignition. As evidenced in the spectrum, the process simultaneously excited thermal neutrons with the yield of 6×10^{7} n/4π sr, raising the local core temperature from 0.8 to 1.8 keV. A one-dimensional hydrocode STAR 1D explains the shell implosion dynamics including the beam fusion and thermal fusion initiated by fast deuterons and carbon ions. A two-dimensional collisional particle-in-cell code predicts the core heating due to resistive processes driven by hot electrons, and also the generation of fast ions, which could be an additional heating source when they reach the core. Since the core density is limited to 2 g/cm^{3} in the current experiment, neither hot electrons nor fast ions can efficiently deposit their energy and the neutron yield remains low. In future work, we will achieve the higher core density (>10 g/cm^{3}); then hot electrons could contribute more to the core heating via drag heating. Together with hot electrons, the ion contribution to fast ignition is indispensable for realizing high-gain fusion. By virtue of its core heating and ignition, the proposed scheme can potentially achieve high gain fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Kitagawa
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, Kurematsucho, 1955-1 Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202 Japan
| | - Y Mori
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, Kurematsucho, 1955-1 Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202 Japan
| | - O Komeda
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, Kurematsucho, 1955-1 Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202 Japan
| | - K Ishii
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, Kurematsucho, 1955-1 Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202 Japan
| | - R Hanayama
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, Kurematsucho, 1955-1 Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202 Japan
| | - K Fujita
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, Kurematsucho, 1955-1 Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202 Japan
| | - S Okihara
- The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, Kurematsucho, 1955-1 Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202 Japan
| | - T Sekine
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K. Kurematsucho, 1820 Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - N Satoh
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K. Kurematsucho, 1820 Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - T Kurita
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K. Kurematsucho, 1820 Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - M Takagi
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K. Kurematsucho, 1820 Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - T Watari
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K. Kurematsucho, 1820 Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - T Kawashima
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K. Kurematsucho, 1820 Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - H Kan
- Hamamatsu Photonics, K. K. Kurematsucho, 1820 Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
| | - Y Nishimura
- Toyota Technical Development Corp., 1-21 Imae, Hanamoto-cho, Toyota, Aichi 470-0334, Japan
| | - A Sunahara
- Institute for Laser Technology, 1-8-4 Utsubo-honmachi, Nishi-ku, Osaka 550-0004, Japan
| | - Y Sentoku
- Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Reno 1664 N Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
| | - N Nakamura
- Advanced Material Engineering Division, TOYOTA Motor Corporation, 1200, Mishuku, Susono, Shizuoka 410-1193, Japan
| | - T Kondo
- Advanced Material Engineering Division, TOYOTA Motor Corporation, 1200, Mishuku, Susono, Shizuoka 410-1193, Japan
| | - M Fujine
- Advanced Material Engineering Division, TOYOTA Motor Corporation, 1200, Mishuku, Susono, Shizuoka 410-1193, Japan
| | - H Azuma
- TOYOTA Central Research and Development Laboratories, Inc., 41-1 Yokomichi, Nagakute-cho, Aichi, Japan
| | - T Motohiro
- TOYOTA Central Research and Development Laboratories, Inc., 41-1 Yokomichi, Nagakute-cho, Aichi, Japan
| | - T Hioki
- TOYOTA Central Research and Development Laboratories, Inc., 41-1 Yokomichi, Nagakute-cho, Aichi, Japan
| | - M Kakeno
- TOYOTA Central Research and Development Laboratories, Inc., 41-1 Yokomichi, Nagakute-cho, Aichi, Japan
| | - E Miura
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan
| | - Y Arikawa
- Institute of laser Engineering, Osaka University, 2-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565, Japan
| | - T Nagai
- Institute of laser Engineering, Osaka University, 2-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565, Japan
| | - Y Abe
- Institute of laser Engineering, Osaka University, 2-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565, Japan
| | - S Ozaki
- National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi Toki, Gifu 509-5292, Japan
| | - A Noda
- Advanced Research Center for Beam Science, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
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7
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Komeda O, Nishimura Y, Mori Y, Hanayama R, Ishii K, Nakayama S, Kitagawa Y, Sekine T, Sato N, Kurita T, Kawashima T, Kan H, Nakamura N, Kondo T, Fujine M, Azuma H, Motohiro T, Hioki T, Kakeno M, Sunahara A, Sentoku Y, Miura E. First demonstration of laser engagement of 1-Hz-injected flying pellets and neutron generation. Sci Rep 2013; 3:2561. [PMID: 24008696 PMCID: PMC3764442 DOI: 10.1038/srep02561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2013] [Accepted: 08/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pellet injection and repetitive laser illumination are key technologies for realizing inertial fusion energy. Numerous studies have been conducted on target suppliers, injectors, and tracking systems for flying pellet engagement. Here we for the first time demonstrate the pellet injection, counter laser beams' engagement and neutron generation. Deuterated polystyrene (CD) bead pellets, after free-falling for a distance of 18 cm at 1 Hz, are successfully engaged by two counter laser beams from a diode-pumped, ultra-intense laser HAMA. The laser energy, pulse duration, wavelength, and the intensity are 0.63 J per beam, 104 fs, and 811 nm, 4.7 × 1018 W/cm2, respectively. The irradiated pellets produce D(d,n)3He-reacted neutrons with a maximum yield of 9.5 × 104/4π sr/shot. Moreover, the laser is found out to bore a straight channel with 10 μm-diameter through the 1-mm-diameter beads. The results indicate potentially useful technologies and findings for the next step in realizing inertial fusion energy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osamu Komeda
- Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, 1955-1 Kurematsu-cho, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.
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