Session CO6: Fast Ignition I
2:00 PM–4:48 PM, Monday, November 8, 2010
Room: Columbus GH
Chair: Brian Albright, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Abstract ID: BAPS.2010.DPP.CO6.11
Abstract: CO6.00011 : Interaction of intense laser pulses with plasma gradients at fast-ignition scales
4:00 PM–4:12 PM
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Abstract 
Authors:
Andreas Kemp
(LLNL)
Laurent Divol
(LLNL)
Fast ignition depends on the efficient conversion from picosecond-scale intense laser pulses into MeV electrons to heat the compressed core of an inertial confinement fusion target. We study the interaction of multi-picosecond, intense laser pulses with plasma density gradients, using full-scale particle-in-cell simulations. We find that, in contrast to the diffraction-limited sub-ps laser pulses used in experiments today, the long-energetic-large-spot pulses relevant to fast ignition create over a few picoseconds a plasma profile and a hot electron spectrum that are nearly independent of the initial conditions. We discuss scaling properties with laser intensity, spot size and plasma scale length.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2010.DPP.CO6.11