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Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
D. H. Edgell, R. S. Craxton, L. M. Elasky, D. R. Harding, L. S. Iwan, R. L. Keck, L. D. Lund, S. J. Verbridge, M. D. Wittman, A. Warrick, T. Brown, W. Seka
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 49 | Number 4 | May 2006 | Pages 616-625
Technical Paper | Target Fabrication | doi.org/10.13182/FST49-616
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Backlit optical shadowgraphy is the primary diagnostic for D2 ice layer characterization of cryogenic targets for the OMEGA Laser System at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). Reflection and refraction of light passing through the ice layer produce characteristic rings. The position of the most prominent of the shadowgraph rings, known as the bright ring, can be resolved to ~0.1-pixel rms, corresponding to about 0.12 m for typical LLE target shadowgraphs. Measurement of the bright ring position in conjunction with ray-trace model predictions determines the ice layer thickness and the Fourier-mode spectrum of the ice roughness for that view. The LLE target characterization stations use two camera angles and target rotation to record target shadowgraphs from many different views. Combining these views allows construction of a 3-D ice layer representation, an estimation of the global surface roughness, and a determination of a Legendre-mode spectrum suitable for implosion modeling. The standard operating procedure is to construct a 3-D ice layer representation using the analysis of 48 separate shadowgraphic views. The 3-D ice surface is then decomposed in terms of spherical harmonics, allowing the determination of low-mode number (l 8 to 10) elements of a Legendre-mode power spectrum. Higher-mode number elements of the Legendre power spectrum are determined by mapping the Fourier-mode power spectrum averaged over all views