56th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics
Volume 59, Number 15
Monday–Friday, October 27–31, 2014;
New Orleans, Louisiana
Session TI2: ICF and Z-pinch Physics
9:30 AM–12:30 PM,
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Room: Bissonet
Chair: Patrick McKenty, University of Rochester
Abstract ID: BAPS.2014.DPP.TI2.3
Abstract: TI2.00003 : Impact of First-Principles Property Calculations of Warm-Dense Deuterium/Tritium on Inertial Confinement Fusion Target Designs
10:30 AM–11:00 AM
Preview Abstract
Abstract
Author:
S.X. Hu
(Laboratory for Laser Energetics, U. of Rochester)
Accurate knowledge of the properties of warm dense deuterium/tritium (DT) is
essential to reliably design inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions.
In the warm-dense-matter regime, routinely accessed by low-adiabat ICF
implosions,\footnote{S. X. Hu \textit{et al}., Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{104}, 235003
(2010).} strong-coupling and degeneracy effects play an important role in
determining plasma properties. Using first-principles methods of both
path-integral Monte Carlo and quantum molecular-dynamics (QMD), we have
performed systematic investigation of the equation of state,\footnote{S. X.
Hu \textit{et al.}, Phys. Rev. B \textbf{84}, 224109 (2011). } thermal
conductivity,\footnote{V. Recoules \textit{et al.}, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{102}, 075002
(2009). } \footnote{F. Lambert \textit{et al.}, Phys. Plasmas \textbf{18}, 056306 (2011). }
\footnote{S. X. Hu \textit{et al.}, Phys. Rev. E \textbf{89}, 043105 (2014). } and
opacity\footnote{S. X. Hu \textit{et al.,} ``First-Principles Opacity Table of Warm-Dense
Deuterium for ICF Applications,'' submitted to Physical Review E. } for DT
over a wide range of densities and temperatures. These first-principles
properties have been incorporated into our hydrocodes. When compared to
hydro simulations using standard plasma models, significant differences in
1-D target performance have been identified for simulations of DT
implosions. For low-adiabat $\left( {\alpha \le 2} \right)$ DT plasma
conditions, the QMD-predicted opacities are $10$ to $100 \times$ higher than predicted by the cold-opacity--patched
astrophysical opacity table. The thermal conductivity could be
$3$ to $10 \times$ larger than the Lee--More model
prediction. These enhancements can modify the shell adiabat and shock
dynamics in lower-$\alpha $ ICF implosions, which could lead to $\sim 40\% $
variations in peak density and neutron yield. This material is based upon
work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security
Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2014.DPP.TI2.3