Journal of Nuclear Science, Engineering and Technology (JONSAT)
In cooperation with the Iranian Nuclear Society

The effect of electron characteristics on the optimum transport into the dense pre-plasma for fast-shock ignition concept

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

S.A. Ghasemi 1
S. Faghih 2
B. Khanbabaei 2

1 Plasma and Nuclear Fusion Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, AEOI, P.O. Box: 14399-51113, Tehran, Iran

2 Faculty of Physics, Damghan University, P.O. Box: 36716-41167, Damghan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.24200/nst.2020.1096
Abstract
In this paper, the effect of the initial electron energy with E0=1-10 MeV, its distribution function and pre-plasma background temperature T=0.5-10 keV on the optimum transport into the dense fuel with the density ρc=292-828 g.cm-3 have been investigated analytically for fast-shock ignition concept. The analytical results showed that for Te ≥ 5 keV, the Coulomb logarithm of the charged particle is weakly dependent on the pre-plasma temperature, and it seems that the plasma stopping power is approximately independent of background temperature. Therefore, it could be concluded that pre-plasma temperature is not a key parameter for the electron penetration improvement, and the electron penetration can be optimized by a decrement of fuel density and increment of electron incident energy; in a way that the optimal condition obtained about E0≈4.5 MeV for electron incident energy and ρc=300 g.cm-3 for pre-plasma density. Furthermore, investigating the impact of the fast ignitor wavelength and electron energy distribution function showed that the electron distribution function is almost independent of the background temperature and by considering quasi two-temperature distribution function for electron and fast ignitor wavelength λif ≈ 0.35 µm, the optimized penetration may be obtained. The analytical results showed an acceptable agreement with those of Monte Carlo simulations.

Highlights

1.             S. Hain, P. Mulser, Fast ignition without hole boring. Physical review letters, 86(6), 1015 (2001).

 

2.             M. Tabak, et al. Ignition and high gain with ultrapowerful lasers. Physics of Plasmas, 1(5), 1626-1634 (1994).

 

3.             C.D. Zhou, R. Betti, Hydrodynamic relations for direct-drive fast-ignition and conventional inertial confinement fusion implosions. Physics of plasmas, 14(7), 072703 (2007).

 

4.             Norreys, et al. Experimental studies of the advanced fast ignitor scheme. Physics of Plasmas, 7(9), 3721-3726 (2000).

 

5.             R. Kodama, et al. Fast heating of ultrahighdensity plasma as a step towards laser fusion ignition. Nature, 412(6849), 798-802 (2001).

 

6.             K.A. Tanaka, et al. Basic and integrated studies for fast ignition. Physics of Plasmas, 10(5), 1925-1930 (2003).

 

7.             P.A. Norreys, et al. Integrated implosion/heating studies for advanced fast ignition. Physics of Plasmas, 11(5), 2746-2753 (2004).

 

8.             R. Betti, et al. Shock ignition of thermonuclear fuel with high areal density. Physical review letters, 98(15), 155001 (2007).

 

9.             A.J. Schmitt, et al. Shock ignition target design for inertial fusion energy. Physics of Plasmas, 17(4), 042701 (2010).

 

10.          S.A. Ghasemi, A.H. Farahbod, S. Sobhanian, Analytical model for fast-shock ignition. AIP Advances, 4(7), 077130 (2014).

 

11.          A.H. Farahbod, et al. Improvement of nonisobaric model for shock ignition. The European Physical Journal D, 68(10), 314 (2014).

 

12.          A.H. Farahbod, S.A. Ghasemi, Fast-Shock Ignition: A new concept to Inertial confinement fusion, Iranian J. Phys. Res., 12, 4 (2013).

 

13.          S.A. Ghasemi, A.H. Farahbod, The Role of fast ignitor in fast-shock ignition concept, Iranian J. Phys. Res., 13, 4 (2013).

 

14.          S.A. Ghasemi, A.H. Farahbod, Fast-Shock Ignition: A New Concept to Inertial Confinement Fusion, Bull. Am. Phys. Soc., 58, 308 (2013).

 

15.          S.A. Ghasemi, A.H. Farahbod, Electron Energy Deposition in Fast-Shock Ignition, Bull. Am. Phys. Soc., 59, 1 (2014).

 

16.          C.K. Li, R.D. Petrasso, Stopping of directed energetic electrons in high-temperature hydrogenic plasmas. Physical Review E, 70(6), 067401 (2004).

 

17.          S. Atzeni, A. Schiavi, J.R. Davies, Stopping and scattering of relativistic electron beams in dense plasmas and requirements for fast ignition. Plasma physics and controlled fusion, 51(1), 015016 (2008).

 

18.          A.A. Solodov, R. Betti, Stopping power and range of energetic electrons in dense plasmas of fast-ignition fusion targets. Physics of Plasmas, 15(4), 042707 (2008).

 

19.          C.K. Li, R.D. Petrasso, Energy deposition of MeV electrons in compressed targets of fast-ignition inertial confinement fusion. Physics of plasmas, 13(5), 056314 (2006).

 

20.          C. Bellei, et al. Fast ignition: Dependence of the ignition energy on source and target parameters for particle-in-cell-modelled energy and angular distributions of the fast electrons. Physics of Plasmas, 20(5), 052704 (2013).

Keywords

Energy distribution function
Pre-Plasma temperature
Electron transport
Fast-shock ignition
1.             S. Hain, P. Mulser, Fast ignition without hole boring. Physical review letters, 86(6), 1015 (2001).
 
2.             M. Tabak, et al. Ignition and high gain with ultrapowerful lasers. Physics of Plasmas, 1(5), 1626-1634 (1994).
 
3.             C.D. Zhou, R. Betti, Hydrodynamic relations for direct-drive fast-ignition and conventional inertial confinement fusion implosions. Physics of plasmas, 14(7), 072703 (2007).
 
4.             Norreys, et al. Experimental studies of the advanced fast ignitor scheme. Physics of Plasmas, 7(9), 3721-3726 (2000).
 
5.             R. Kodama, et al. Fast heating of ultrahighdensity plasma as a step towards laser fusion ignition. Nature, 412(6849), 798-802 (2001).
 
6.             K.A. Tanaka, et al. Basic and integrated studies for fast ignition. Physics of Plasmas, 10(5), 1925-1930 (2003).
 
7.             P.A. Norreys, et al. Integrated implosion/heating studies for advanced fast ignition. Physics of Plasmas, 11(5), 2746-2753 (2004).
 
8.             R. Betti, et al. Shock ignition of thermonuclear fuel with high areal density. Physical review letters, 98(15), 155001 (2007).
 
9.             A.J. Schmitt, et al. Shock ignition target design for inertial fusion energy. Physics of Plasmas, 17(4), 042701 (2010).
 
10.          S.A. Ghasemi, A.H. Farahbod, S. Sobhanian, Analytical model for fast-shock ignition. AIP Advances, 4(7), 077130 (2014).
 
11.          A.H. Farahbod, et al. Improvement of nonisobaric model for shock ignition. The European Physical Journal D, 68(10), 314 (2014).
 
12.          A.H. Farahbod, S.A. Ghasemi, Fast-Shock Ignition: A new concept to Inertial confinement fusion, Iranian J. Phys. Res., 12, 4 (2013).
 
13.          S.A. Ghasemi, A.H. Farahbod, The Role of fast ignitor in fast-shock ignition concept, Iranian J. Phys. Res., 13, 4 (2013).
 
14.          S.A. Ghasemi, A.H. Farahbod, Fast-Shock Ignition: A New Concept to Inertial Confinement Fusion, Bull. Am. Phys. Soc., 58, 308 (2013).
 
15.          S.A. Ghasemi, A.H. Farahbod, Electron Energy Deposition in Fast-Shock Ignition, Bull. Am. Phys. Soc., 59, 1 (2014).
 
16.          C.K. Li, R.D. Petrasso, Stopping of directed energetic electrons in high-temperature hydrogenic plasmas. Physical Review E, 70(6), 067401 (2004).
 
17.          S. Atzeni, A. Schiavi, J.R. Davies, Stopping and scattering of relativistic electron beams in dense plasmas and requirements for fast ignition. Plasma physics and controlled fusion, 51(1), 015016 (2008).
 
18.          A.A. Solodov, R. Betti, Stopping power and range of energetic electrons in dense plasmas of fast-ignition fusion targets. Physics of Plasmas, 15(4), 042707 (2008).
 
19.          C.K. Li, R.D. Petrasso, Energy deposition of MeV electrons in compressed targets of fast-ignition inertial confinement fusion. Physics of plasmas, 13(5), 056314 (2006).
 
20.          C. Bellei, et al. Fast ignition: Dependence of the ignition energy on source and target parameters for particle-in-cell-modelled energy and angular distributions of the fast electrons. Physics of Plasmas, 20(5), 052704 (2013).

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