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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.
S. W. Haan, D. A. Callahan, M. J. Edwards, B. A. Hammel, D. D. Ho, O. S. Jones, J. D. Lindl, B. J. MacGowan, M. M. Marinak, D. H. Munro, S. M. Pollaine, J. D. Salmonson, B. K. Spears, L. J. Suter
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 55 | Number 3 | April 2009 | Pages 227-232
Technical Paper | Eighteenth Target Fabrication Specialists' Meeting | doi.org/10.13182/FST08-3501
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Targets intended to produce ignition on the National Ignition Facility are being simulated, and the simulations are used to set specifications for target fabrication. Recent design work has focused on refining designs that use 1.3 MJ of laser energy, with an ablator of Be(Cu) or CH(Ge). The mainline hohlraum design now has a He-H gas fill and a wall of U-Au layers. The emphasis in this paper is on changes in the requirements over the last year. Complete tables of specifications are regularly updated for all of the targets. All the specifications are rolled together into an error budget indicating adequate margin for ignition with all of the designs.