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479 EBU-II
Dr. John Pasley
Blackett Laboratory
Imperial College,
“TAMPED ABLATION STUDIES”
Over the past few years we have performed
several experiments investigating the behaviour of
soft x-ray driven solid density payloads that have been coated on the driver
facing side with a low density foam that acts to tamp
the expansion of the ablation product from the solid ablator. We have
discovered that the use of such a low-density tamper can, under certain
circumstances, greatly increase the efficiency of payload acceleration.
Unfortunately there are a number of major difficulties in applying the scheme
to existing indirect drive Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) designs. We
will discuss some of the results that we have obtained, the nature of the
problems regards integrating the tamping concept into ICF, and close with some
thoughts on how tamping could be usefully harnessed in the quest for ignition
and burn.
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For information: Edith Juanengo at (858) 534-3174