S. Le Pape
A5090495123- Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics
- Laser-induced spectroscopy and plasma
- High-pressure geophysics and materials
- Laser-Matter Interactions and Applications
- Nuclear Physics and Applications
- Atomic and Molecular Physics
- Combustion and Detonation Processes
- Magnetic confinement fusion research
- Laser Design and Applications
- Cold Fusion and Nuclear Reactions
- Ion-surface interactions and analysis
- Energetic Materials and Combustion
- Fusion materials and technologies
- Advanced X-ray Imaging Techniques
- Diamond and Carbon-based Materials Research
- Astro and Planetary Science
- X-ray Spectroscopy and Fluorescence Analysis
- Nuclear reactor physics and engineering
- Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies
- Plasma Diagnostics and Applications
- Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics
- Engineering and Material Science Research
- Nuclear Materials and Properties
- Gas Dynamics and Kinetic Theory
- Solid State Laser Technologies
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
2015-2024
Laboratoire pour l'utilisation des lasers intenses
2004-2024
École Polytechnique
2004-2024
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
2004-2023
Sorbonne Université
2004-2022
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives
2004-2022
Los Alamos National Laboratory
2012-2021
General Atomics (United States)
2009-2021
Diamond Materials (Germany)
2020-2021
Université Paris-Saclay
2020
Abstract Obtaining a burning plasma is critical step towards self-sustaining fusion energy 1 . A one in which the reactions themselves are primary source of heating plasma, necessary to sustain and propagate burn, enabling high gain. After decades research, here we achieve burning-plasma state laboratory. These experiments were conducted at US National Ignition Facility, laser facility delivering up 1.9 megajoules pulses with peak powers 500 terawatts. We use lasers generate X-rays radiation...
Indirect-drive hohlraum experiments at the National Ignition Facility have demonstrated symmetric capsule implosions unprecedented laser drive energies of 0.7 megajoule. One hundred and ninety-two simultaneously fired beams heat ignition-emulate hohlraums to radiation temperatures 3.3 million kelvin, compressing 1.8-millimeter-diameter capsules by soft x-rays produced hohlraum. Self-generated plasma optics gratings on either end tune power distribution in hohlraum, which produces a x-ray as...
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory includes a precision laser system now capable of delivering 1.8 MJ 500 TW 0.35-μm light to target. NIF has been operational since March 2009. A variety experiments have completed in support NIF's mission areas: national security, fundamental science, and inertial fusion energy. capabilities infrastructure are place its missions with nearly 60 X-ray, optical, nuclear diagnostic systems. primary goal the Campaign (NIC) on...
A series of cryogenic, layered deuterium-tritium (DT) implosions have produced, for the first time, fusion energy output twice peak kinetic imploding shell. These experiments at National Ignition Facility utilized high density carbon ablators with a three-shock laser pulse (1.5 MJ in 7.5 ns) to irradiate low gas-filled ($0.3\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{mg}/\mathrm{cc}$ helium) bare depleted uranium hohlraums, resulting hohlraum radiative temperature $\ensuremath{\sim}290\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$. The...
Deuterium-tritium inertial confinement fusion implosion experiments on the National Ignition Facility have demonstrated yields ranging from 0.8 to 7×10(14), and record fuel areal densities of 0.7 1.3 g/cm2. These implosions use hohlraums irradiated with shaped laser pulses 1.5-1.9 MJ energy. The peak power duration at were varied, as capsule ablator dopant concentrations shell thicknesses. We quantify level hydrodynamic instability mix into hot spot measured elevated absolute x-ray emission...
This Letter reports on a series of high-adiabat implosions cryogenic layered deuterium-tritium (DT) capsules indirectly driven by ``high-foot'' laser drive pulse at the National Ignition Facility. High-foot have high ablation velocities and large density gradient scale lengths are more resistant to ablation-front Rayleigh-Taylor instability induced mixing ablator material into DT hot spot. Indeed, observed spot mix in these was low measured neutron yields were typically 50% (or higher)...
The National Ignition Campaign's [M. J. Edwards et al., Phys. Plasmas 20, 070501 (2013)] point design implosion has achieved DT neutron yields of $7.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1{0}^{14}$ neutrons, inferred stagnation pressures 103 Gbar, and areal densities ($\ensuremath{\rho}R$) $0.90\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{g}/\mathrm{cm}{}^{2}$ (shot N111215), values that are lower than 1D expectations by factors $10\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}$, $3.3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}$,...
Abstract In a burning plasma state 1–7 , alpha particles from deuterium–tritium fusion reactions redeposit their energy and are the dominant source of heating. This has recently been achieved at US National Ignition Facility 8 using indirect-drive inertial-confinement fusion. Our experiments use laser-generated radiation-filled cavity (a hohlraum) to spherically implode capsules containing deuterium tritium fuel in central hot spot where occur. We have developed more efficient hohlraums...
An inertial fusion implosion on the National Ignition Facility, conducted August 8, 2021 (N210808), recently produced more than a megajoule of yield and passed Lawson's criterion for ignition [Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 075001 (2022)]. We describe experimental improvements that enabled N210808 present first measurements from an igniting plasma in laboratory. metrics like product hot-spot energy pressure squared, absence self-heating, increased by ∼35%, leading to record values enhancement...
We present the design of first igniting fusion plasma in laboratory by Lawson's criterion that produced 1.37 MJ energy, Hybrid-E experiment N210808 (August 8, 2021) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 075001 (2022)10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.075001]. This uses indirect drive inertial confinement approach to heat and compress a central "hot spot" deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel using surrounding dense DT piston. Ignition occurs when heating from absorption α particles created process overcomes loss mechanisms...
The Hohlraum energetics experimental campaign started in the summer of 2009 on National Ignition Facility (NIF) [E. I. Moses et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 041006 (2009)]. These experiments showed good coupling laser energy into targets [N. Meezan 17, 056304 (2010)]. They have also demonstrated controlled crossed-beam transfer between beams as an efficient and robust tool to tune implosion symmetry ignition capsules, predicted by earlier calculations [P. Michel Rev. Lett. 102, 025004 A new linear...
The “High-Foot” platform manipulates the laser pulse-shape coming from National Ignition Facility to create an indirect drive 3-shock implosion that is significantly more robust against instability growth involving ablator and also modestly reduces convergence ratio. This strategy gives up on theoretical high-gain in inertial confinement fusion order obtain better control of bring experimental performance in-line with calculated performance, yet keeps absolute capsule relatively high. In...
Dense fluid metallic hydrogen occupies the interiors of Jupiter, Saturn, and many extrasolar planets, where pressures reach millions atmospheres. Planetary structure models must describe accurately transition from outer molecular envelopes to interior regions. We report optical measurements dynamically compressed deuterium 600 gigapascals (GPa) that reveal an increasing refractive index, onset absorption visible light near 150 GPa, a metal-like reflectivity (exceeding 30%) 200 all at...
High Density Carbon (HDC) is a leading candidate as an ablator material for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) capsules in x-ray (indirect) drive implosions. HDC has higher density (3.5 g/cc) than plastic (CH, 1 g/cc), which results thinner with larger inner radius given capsule scale. This leads to absorption and shorter laser pulses compared equivalent CH designs. paper will describe series of experiments carried out examine the feasibility using both gas filled hohlraums lower density,...
DT neutron yield (Y(n)), ion temperature (T(i)), and down-scatter ratio (dsr) determined from measured spectra are essential metrics for diagnosing the performance of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions at National Ignition Facility (NIF). A suite neutron-time-of-flight (nTOF) spectrometers a magnetic recoil spectrometer (MRS) have been implemented in different locations around NIF target chamber, providing good implosion coverage complementarity required reliable measurements Y(n),...
Recent experiments on the National Ignition Facility [M. J. Edwards et al., Phys. Plasmas 20, 070501 (2013)] demonstrate that utilizing a near-vacuum hohlraum (low pressure gas-filled) is viable option for high convergence cryogenic deuterium-tritium (DT) layered capsule implosions. This made possible by using dense ablator (high-density carbon), which shortens drive duration needed to achieve convergence: measured 40% higher efficiency than typical gas-filled hohlraums, requires less laser...
We report on the most recent and successful effort at controlling trajectory symmetry of a high density carbon implosion National Ignition Facility. use low gasfill (0.3 mg/cc He) bare depleted uranium hohlraum with around 1 MJ laser energy to drive 3-shock-ignition relevant implosion. assess performance we demonstrate control convergence 1, 3–5, 12, 27 better than ±5 μm using succession experimental platforms. The was maintained peak fuel velocity 380 km/s. Overall, measurements are...
We report on the first layered deuterium-tritium (DT) capsule implosions indirectly driven by a "high-foot" laser pulse that were fielded in depleted uranium hohlraums at National Ignition Facility. Recently, high-foot have demonstrated improved resistance to ablation-front Rayleigh-Taylor instability induced mixing of ablator material into DT hot spot [Hurricane et al., Nature (London) 506, 343 (2014)]. Uranium provide higher albedo and thus an increased drive equivalent additional 25 TW...
The locus of National Ignition Facility (NIF) inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosion data, in hot-spot burn-average areal density (ρR) and Brysk temperature (T) space, is shown illustrates that several implosions are nearing a burning plasma state, where α-heating the dominant source heating. A formula for diagnosing using measured/inferred data from ICF experiments given with underlying derivation. Plotting performance against inferred energy key need to maximize delivery an hot-spot....
We present a data-based model for low mode asymmetry in gas-fill hohlraum experiments on the National Ignition Facility {NIF [Moses et al., Fusion Sci. Technol. 69, 1 (2016)]} laser. This is based hypothesis that these fill hohlraums dominated by hydrodynamics of expanding, density, high-Z (gold or uranium) “bubble,” which occurs where intense outer cone laser beams hit wall. developed simple states implosion symmetry becomes more oblate as bubble size large compared to radius capsule...