ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
January 2026
Latest News
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.
N. G. Borisenko, A. A. Akunets, I. A. Artyukov, K. E. Gorodnichev, Yu. A. Merkuliev
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 55 | Number 4 | May 2009 | Pages 477-483
Technical Paper | Eighteenth Target Fabrication Specialists' Meeting | doi.org/10.13182/FST09-A7430
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Density gradient laser targets with decreasing density or increasing stepwise density layers were reported in experimental and theoretical papers on astrophysics modeling, equation-of-state (EOS), and shock-wave dynamics studies. The research with targets of smooth density gradient is due. The experiments with gel-catalyst concentration diffusion are discussed for density gradient foam formation. We used multi-image X-ray tomography for measurement of the silica gel layer density gradient in the process of its growth. Gel with a density gradient growing from a flat boundary between a gel-forming solution and a catalyst solution has been investigated through a set of three-dimensional frames of an X-ray computer microtomograph. Laser targets require high (>1 gcm-3/cm) density gradients of the spatial profile for EOS experiments. The first targets from silica aerogel with a density gradient are demonstrated. Yet these targets perform less density gradient (<0.1 gcm-3/cm) than is required for pressure multiplication in EOS targets.