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(IF/5) Progress in Fast Ignitor Research with the NOVA Petawatt Laser Facility

   
M. H. Key , E. M. Campbell , T. E. Cowan , B. A. Hammel , S. P. Hatchett , E. A. Henry , J. D. Kilkenny , J. A. Koch , A. B. Langdon , B. F. Lasinski , R. W. Lee , J. D. Moody , M. J. Moran , A. A. Offenberger ^*, D. M. Pennington , M. D. Perry , T. J. Phillips , T. C. Sangster , M S. Singh , M. A. Stoyer , M. Tabak , M. Tsukamoto ^**, K. Wharton , S. C. Wilks 
 
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, L-473 Livermore CA 94550, USA
^* Visiting from Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G7, Canada
^** Visiting from Joining & Welding Research Institute, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka 567, Japan

Abstract
The physics of fast ignition is being studied using a petawatt laser facility  at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Performance of the PW laser with deformable mirror wavefront control giving intensities up to $\rm 3\times10^{20} Wcm^{-2}$ is described. Measurements of the efficiency of conversion of laser energy to relativistic electrons and of their energy spectrum and angular distribution including an observed narrow beam angle of $\pm15^o$ , are reported. Heating by the electrons to near 1keV in solid density $\rm CD_2$ is inferred from the thermo-nuclear neutron yield. Estimates suggest an optimized gain of 300x if the National Ignition Facility were to be adapted for fast ignition.

   

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