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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 30 | Number 3 | December 1996 | Pages 431-435
National Ignition Facility | doi.org/10.13182/FST96-A11962978
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The emission of x rays and debris ions by the National Ignition Facility direct and indirect targets are. compared in this paper. In the indirect drive targets, the fuel capsule is surrounded by a gold case, which filters out all but the hardest x rays from the capsule and collides with the capsule debris, generating large amounts of colder x rays that leave the target through laser entrance holes. The direct drive targets have no such case, so the debris and x rays from the capsule are un-obscured. Computer simulations of both targets demonstrate these differences.