Inertial Fusion Energy-Consortium On LPI Research*

The IFE-COLoR leverages expertise and capabilities across the team’s institutions to advance the foundation of IFE science and technology. By bringing together IFE experts from universities, national laboratories, and the private sector, this consortium provides the necessary focus to build the scientific case that will determine a technologically viable path to IFE. IFE necessary requires efficient high-repetition-rate laser drivers that couple effectively to targets, which can be rapidly produced at a fraction of the cost of current ICF targets—the direct-drive approach coupled with modern technologies provides a scientifically supported path to meeting these challenging requirements. The research team directly addresses the most significant science issues that currently provide uncertainty in the path to an IFE facility by setting the requirements for a direct-drive high-bandwidth laser driver that mitigates laser-plasma instabilities at IFE relevant conditions.

Direct-drive fusion is the most straight-forward concept for inertial fusion energy, with its relatively simple target designs, open geometry, and significant potential for generating efficient robust ignition. Expanding the inertial fusion design space to include robust high-gain implosions is necessary for IFE concepts and all laser-based IFE approaches require further control of laser-plasma instabilities. Current state-of-the-art simulations suggest that fractional laser bandwidths of ~2% could mitigate laser plasma instabilities at IFE plasma conditions and the Fourth Generation Laser for Ultrabroadband Experiments laser at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics provides a transformative opportunity to experimentally demonstrate these benefits, which would illuminate a clear direction to an IFE driver. This research couples state-of-the-art laser technologies with advanced laser-plasma instability modeling and experiments guided by experimentally tested hydrodynamic simulations to provide the scientific and technological underpinning for a high-bandwidth direct-drive IFE system. Furthermore, IFE-COLoR is part of the IFE Ecosystem that is advancing IFE through a coordinated national effort that includes national collaboration, advocacy and outreach.