Inertial confinement fusion at high gain

4 problems

• Control of laser-plasma instabilities in direct-drive ignition

  Open

  In direct drive the lasers shine straight on the capsule, which is more efficient, but the light also excites plasma waves that waste energy and make fast electrons that preheat the fuel. Whether these effects can be suppressed enough at full scale is unknown.

• Can magnetized liner inertial fusion reach high gain

  Open

  A different route to inertial fusion uses a huge electric current to crush a metal tube of fuel that has been magnetized and preheated by a laser. Designs predict high gain on a larger machine, but whether instabilities and mixing allow it is unknown.

• Origin of yield variability between nominally identical ignition shots

  Open

  Fusion implosions that are meant to be identical produce very different energy yields. The small flaws in the capsule or laser drive responsible for this have not been pinned down quantitatively.

• Can laser-driven inertial fusion reach target gain of 10

  Open

  The best laser fusion shots now release a few times more fusion energy than the laser energy that hits the target. A power plant needs much more, and it is not known whether any target design can reach ten times with today's laser energies.