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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.
John M. Scott, Per F. Peterson
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 34 | Number 3 | November 1998 | Pages 772-776
National Ignition Facility-Target Area | doi.org/10.13182/FST98-A11963707
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) will support multiple user groups who will use NIF's unique capability to generate intense pulses of x-ray, neutron and gamma radiation from non-ignition and ignition targets. Contamination of the final-optics debris shields by target, near-target, and remobilized first-wall debris will determine the types of experiments that can be fielded. Some of these experimental packages will require target-facing surfaces that nearly enclose the target. Due to the short stand-off distances of these surfaces, x-ray ablation inside these confined spaces will generate conditions in NIF quite similar to those envisioned for future Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) target chambers like HYLIFE. The design of these NIF experiments provides an excellent opportunity to apply the analytical target-chamber design tools the IFE research community has created, and in a synergistic way, these experiments will in turn provide a rich source of experimental data for IFE target-chamber research.