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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.
H. Huang, B. J. Kozioziemski, R. B. Stephens, A. Nikroo, S. A. Eddinger, K. C. Chen, H. W. Xu, K. A. Moreno
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 51 | Number 4 | May 2007 | Pages 519-524
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST07-3
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
National Ignition Facility (NIF) ignition target specifications require submicron dimensional measurement accuracy for the spherical ablator shell, which requires the proper corrections of various distortions induced by the imaging lens, the point projection geometry, and x-ray refraction. The procedures we developed allow measurement accuracies of 0.5 m for the capsule diameter, ±0.2 m for the out-of-round (which is the amplitude of the radius variations), ±0.3 m for the wall thickness (including each sub-layer), and ±0.1 m for wall thickness profile.