Electron-ion thermal equilibration after spherical shock collapse

A comprehensive set of dual nuclear product observations provides a snapshot of imploding inertial confinement fusion capsules at the time of shock collapse, shortly before the final stages of compression. The collapse of strong convergent shocks at the center of spherical capsules filled with D[sub...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rygg, J. R., Frenje, Johan A., Li, C. K., Seguin, Fredrick Hampton, Petrasso, Richard D., Meyerhofer, D. D., Stoeckl, C.
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: American Physical Society 2010
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/51070
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6919-4881
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1020-3501
Description
Summary:A comprehensive set of dual nuclear product observations provides a snapshot of imploding inertial confinement fusion capsules at the time of shock collapse, shortly before the final stages of compression. The collapse of strong convergent shocks at the center of spherical capsules filled with D[subscript 2] and [subscript 3]He gases induces D-D and D-[superscript 3]He nuclear production. Temporal and spectral diagnostics of products from both reactions are used to measure shock timing, temperature, and capsule areal density. The density and temperature inferred from these measurements are used to estimate the electron-ion thermal coupling and demonstrate a lower electron-ion relaxation rate for capsules with lower initial gas density.