Modeling of Multi-Interface, Diverging, Hydrodynamic Experiments for the National Ignition Facility*

The National Ignition Facility will soon provide more than ten times the energy than was previously available on laser facilities. In the context of supernova-relevant hydrodynamics, this will enable experiments in which hydrodynamic instabilities develop from multiple, coupled interfaces in a diverging explosion. This presentation discusses the design of spherical and aspheric blast-wave-driven explosions, in which the relative masses of the layers are scaled to those within the star. The simulations probed the instability growth and multi-interface interactions to assess the diagnosability and experimental value of different designs using a variety of materials. Analysis of aspheric cases will determine the feasibility of extending the experiment to investigate aspheric supernova.