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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.
Robert R. Peterson, Joseph J. MacFarlane, Ping Wang
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 26 | Number 3 | November 1994 | Pages 809-813
National Ignition Facility | Proceedings of the Eleventh Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy New Orleans, Louisiana June 19-23, 1994 | doi.org/10.13182/FST94-A40254
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The response of the National Ignition Facility target chamber first wall to the x rays and debris ions emitted by the target is important to the conceptual design of the facility. The material that is vaporized by the target emanations can condense on the laser optics, rendering them too opaque for laser transmittion. This paper presents results of computer simulations of the vaporization of graphite and boron from the target chamber walls, using x-ray and debris ion spectra from target breakup simulations performed at the University of Wisconsin.