introduction-CentreLasersIntensesetApplications.docVIP

HiPER laser: from capsule design to the laser reference design B. Le Garrec?a, J. Collierb, C. Edwardsb, K. Ertelb, S. Atzenic, D. Batanid, L. Gizzie, X. Ribeyref, G.Schurtzf, A. Schiavi, M. Perladog, B. Rush aCEA-CESTA, 15 av. Des Sablieres, 33114, Le Barp, France bSTFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11?0QX, United-Kingdom cDip. SBAI, Università di Roma ‘La Sapienza’ and CNISM Italy dDip. di Fisica, Univ. Milano-Bicocca and CNISM, Italy eILIL at INO, CNR, Pisa, Italy fCELIA, Université Bordeaux 1, 33405 Talence, France gInstituto de Fusión Nuclear, Madrid, Spain hInstitute of Physics / PALS Centre, Prague, Czech Republic Abstract HiPER (High Power laser Energy Research) is the first European plan for international cooperation in developing inertial fusion energy. ICF activities are ongoing in a number of nations and the first ignition experiments are underway at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the USA. Although HiPER is still in the preparatory phase, it is appropriate for Europe to commence planning for future inertial fusion activities that leverage the demonstration of ignition. In this paper we shall detail some of the key points of the laser design and the way this design is connected to the capsule requirements. Keywords: to be completed INTRODUCTION The HiPER project intends to demonstrate the feasibility of inertial fusion schemes suitable to energy production (IFE: inertial fusion energy). As presently envisaged, an IFE reactor will consist of a driver, delivering pulses of a few MJ of energy at rate of 5–20 Hz, inducing compression, ignition and burn of targets containing a few mg of deuterium-tritium mixture. Economic operation (see sec. 3) requires that the energy gain G of the target, i.e. the ratio of the released fusion energy to the driver pulse energy satisfies G 10/?, where ? is the efficiency of the driver. For ??=?????? G 100 is needed. Such a high gain can potentially be achieved by inertial fusion schemes using