J. E. Ralph
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View article: First demonstration of improved yield with reduced adiabat in inertial confinement fusion implosions on the National Ignition Facility
First demonstration of improved yield with reduced adiabat in inertial confinement fusion implosions on the National Ignition Facility Open
Laser-driven, indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) recently achieved a target gain greater than one, where fusion energy output exceeds input laser energy [Abu-Shawareb et al.…
View article: Present understanding of ignition and gain using indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion target designs on the U.S. National Ignition Facility
Present understanding of ignition and gain using indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion target designs on the U.S. National Ignition Facility Open
For many decades, the running joke in fusion research has been that ‘fusion’ is thirty years away and always will be. Yet, these past few years we find ourselves in a position where we can now talk about the milestones of burning plasmas, …
View article: Thermonuclear performance variability near ignition at the National Ignition Facility
Thermonuclear performance variability near ignition at the National Ignition Facility Open
We describe our current understanding of the variability and degradation mechanisms observed through a series of five indirectly driven inertial fusion implosions fielded at the National Ignition Facility in the fall of 2021, four of which…
View article: Frustraum 1100 experimental campaign on the national ignition facility
Frustraum 1100 experimental campaign on the national ignition facility Open
View article: Diagnosing inertial confinement fusion ignition
Diagnosing inertial confinement fusion ignition Open
Fusion ignition by inertial confinement requires compression and heating of the fusion fuel to temperatures in excess of 5 keV and densities exceeding hundreds of g/cc. In August 2021, this scientific milestone was surpassed at the Nationa…
View article: Design of first experiment to achieve fusion target gain <b>&gt;</b> 1
Design of first experiment to achieve fusion target gain <b>></b> 1 Open
A decades-long quest to achieve fusion energy target gain and ignition in a controlled laboratory experiment, dating back to 1962, has been realized at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) on December 5, 2022 [Abu-Shawareb et al., Phys. Re…
View article: What next: Further implosion space exploration on the path to NIF extended yield capability
What next: Further implosion space exploration on the path to NIF extended yield capability Open
We present quantitative motivations and assessments of various proposed and ongoing directions to further improving yields and target gain of igniting indirect-drive implosions at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). These include increas…
View article: Thick-shell model of indirect-drive yield sensitivity
Thick-shell model of indirect-drive yield sensitivity Open
View article: The impact of low-mode symmetry on inertial fusion energy output in the burning plasma state
The impact of low-mode symmetry on inertial fusion energy output in the burning plasma state Open
View article: Expectations and results from the first NIF beryllium shock timing experiment (U)
Expectations and results from the first NIF beryllium shock timing experiment (U) Open
View article: Comparison of measured soft x-ray drive with capsule implosion velocity for ignition tuning experiments on NIF
Comparison of measured soft x-ray drive with capsule implosion velocity for ignition tuning experiments on NIF Open
View article: Design of the first fusion experiment to achieve target energy gain <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mi>G</mml:mi><mml:mo>></mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:math>
Design of the first fusion experiment to achieve target energy gain Open
In this work we present the design of the first controlled fusion laboratory experiment to reach target gain G>1 N221204 (5 December 2022) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 065102 (2024)10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.065102], performed at the National Ignit…
View article: Observations and properties of the first laboratory fusion experiment to exceed a target gain of unity
Observations and properties of the first laboratory fusion experiment to exceed a target gain of unity Open
An indirect-drive inertial fusion experiment on the National Ignition Facility was driven using 2.05 MJ of laser light at a wavelength of 351 nm and produced 3.1±0.16 MJ of total fusion yield, producing a target gain G=1.5±0.1 exceeding un…
View article: Energy Principles of Scientific Breakeven in an Inertial Fusion Experiment
Energy Principles of Scientific Breakeven in an Inertial Fusion Experiment Open
Fusion “scientific breakeven” (i.e., unity target gain Gtarget, total fusion energy out > laser energy input) has been achieved for the first time (here, Gtarget∼1.5). This Letter reports on the physics principles of the design changes tha…
View article: The impact of low-mode symmetry on inertial fusion energy output in the burning plasma state
The impact of low-mode symmetry on inertial fusion energy output in the burning plasma state Open
Indirect Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion Experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) have achieved a burning plasma state with neutron yields exceeding 170 kJ 1, 2 , roughly 3 times the prior record and a necessary stage for igni…
View article: Assembly of high-Areal-Density Deuterium-Tritium fuel from indirectly driven cryogenic implosions
Assembly of high-Areal-Density Deuterium-Tritium fuel from indirectly driven cryogenic implosions Open
The National Ignition Facility has been used to compress deuterium-tritium to an average areal density of ∼1.0±0.1gcm -2, which is 67% of the ignition requirement. These conditions were obtained using 192 laser beams with total energy of 1…
View article: Frustraum 1100 Experimental Campaign on the National Ignition Facility
Frustraum 1100 Experimental Campaign on the National Ignition Facility Open
View article: Diagnosing the origin and impact of low-mode asymmetries in ignition experiments at the National Ignition Facility
Diagnosing the origin and impact of low-mode asymmetries in ignition experiments at the National Ignition Facility Open
Inertial confinement fusion ignition requires high inflight shell velocity, good energy coupling between the hotspot and shell, and high areal density at peak compression. Three-dimensional asymmetries caused by imperfections in the drive …
View article: Dynamics and Power Balance of Near Unity Target Gain Inertial Confinement Fusion Implosions
Dynamics and Power Balance of Near Unity Target Gain Inertial Confinement Fusion Implosions Open
The change in the power balance, temporal dynamics, emission weighted size, temperature, mass, and areal density of inertially confined fusion plasmas have been quantified for experiments that reach target gains up to 0.72. It is observed …
View article: Evidence for suprathermal ion distribution in burning plasmas
Evidence for suprathermal ion distribution in burning plasmas Open
View article: Optimization of Backscatter and Symmetry for Laser Fusion Experiments Using Multiple Tunable Wavelengths
Optimization of Backscatter and Symmetry for Laser Fusion Experiments Using Multiple Tunable Wavelengths Open
A new additional wavelength-tuning capability has been implemented on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser allowing for unprecedented control of crossed-beam energy transfer (CBET) between all groups of beams for better performance o…
View article: Yield degradation mechanisms for two-shock capsules evaluated through simulations
Yield degradation mechanisms for two-shock capsules evaluated through simulations Open
An investigation of twenty two-shock campaign indirectly driven capsules on the National Ignition Facility was conducted using the xRAGE computer code. The two-shock platform was developed to look at the sensitivity of fuel–ablator mix wit…
View article: Experimental achievement and signatures of ignition at the National Ignition Facility
Experimental achievement and signatures of ignition at the National Ignition Facility Open
An inertial fusion implosion on the National Ignition Facility, conducted on August 8, 2021 (N210808), recently produced more than a megajoule of fusion yield and passed Lawson's criterion for ignition [Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 075001 (2022)1…
View article: Design of an inertial fusion experiment exceeding the Lawson criterion for ignition
Design of an inertial fusion experiment exceeding the Lawson criterion for ignition Open
We present the design of the first igniting fusion plasma in the laboratory by Lawson's criterion that produced 1.37 MJ of fusion energy, Hybrid-E experiment N210808 (August 8, 2021) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 075001 (2022)10.1103/PhysRevLett.…
View article: Publisher Correction: Burning plasma achieved in inertial fusion
Publisher Correction: Burning plasma achieved in inertial fusion Open
View article: Burning plasma achieved in inertial fusion
Burning plasma achieved in inertial fusion Open
View article: Design of inertial fusion implosions reaching the burning plasma regime
Design of inertial fusion implosions reaching the burning plasma regime Open
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 state has recently been achieved at the US National Ignition Facility 8 using indir…
View article: Simultaneous visualization of wall motion, drive beam propagation, and implosion symmetry by using hohlraums with thin-wall patches at the National Ignition Facility
Simultaneous visualization of wall motion, drive beam propagation, and implosion symmetry by using hohlraums with thin-wall patches at the National Ignition Facility Open
View article: Experiments conducted in the burning plasma regime with inertial fusion implosions
Experiments conducted in the burning plasma regime with inertial fusion implosions Open
An experimental program is currently underway at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to compress deuterium and tritium (DT) fuel to densities and temperatures sufficient to achieve fusion and energy gain. The primary approach being invest…
View article: Metrics for implosion performance with enhanced energy coupling on NIF
Metrics for implosion performance with enhanced energy coupling on NIF Open
In 2017–2018, record fusion yields on NIF were produced with designs that utilized high-density-carbon capsules and low-gas-fill hohlraums. Subsequently, a strategy was pursued to increase the capsule size and thus the energy absorbed by t…