Fast ignition transport simulations for NIF

Abstract

This paper shows work at Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) devoted to modeling the propagation of, and heating by, a relativistic electron beam in a idealized dense fuel assembly for fast ignition [1]. The implicit particle-in-cell (PIC) code LSP is used. Experiments planned on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the next few years using the Advanced Radiography Capability (ARC) short-pulse laser motivate this work. We demonstrate significant improvement in the heating of dense fuel due to magnetic forces, increased beam collimation, and insertion of a finite-radius carbon region between the beam excitation and fuel regions. © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd.