Control of Shell Convergence and Deceleration Rayleigh–Taylor Growth in Dynamic Shell Ignition Designs *

The dynamic shell ignition target designs use a homogeneous-density fuel sphere (liquid of solid) inside a wetted-foam shell[1] to create a fuel shell dynamically by appropriately shaping the laser pulse. Compared to the nominal layered targets, the new designs offer greater flexibility in controlling density of the central, lower-density part of the target by changing the strength of the initial shocks launched into the fuel ball. This, in turn, affects the shell convergence ratio (CR) and Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) growth amplification during deceleration. This talk will review design options to control CR and RT growth in dynamic shell designs.

[1] V. N. Goncharov et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 065001 (2020).