Visible to the public Modeling Burn Physics in a Magnetized ICF Plasma

TitleModeling Burn Physics in a Magnetized ICF Plasma
Publication TypeConference Paper
Year of Publication2022
AuthorsO'Neill, S., Appelbe, B., Chittenden, J.
Conference Name2022 IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science (ICOPS)
Date Publishedmay
Keywordscodes, composability, Heating systems, Inertial confinement, Magnetic confinement, Magnetization, Monte Carlo methods, pubcrawl, resilience, Resiliency, thermal conductivity
AbstractThe pre-magnetization of inertial confinement fusion capsules is a promising avenue for reaching hotspot ignition, as the magnetic field reduces electron thermal conduction losses during hotspot formation. However, in order to reach high yields, efficient burn-up of the cold fuel is vital. Suppression of heat flows out of the hotspot due to magnetization can restrict the propagation of burn and has been observed to reduce yields in previous studies [1] . This work investigates the potential suppression of burn in a magnetized plasma utilizing the radiation-MHD code 'Chimera' in a planar geometry.. This code includes extended-MHD effects, such as the Nernst term, and a Monte-Carlo model for magnetized alpha particle transport and heating. We observe 3 distinct regimes of magnetized burn in 1D as initial magnetization is increased: thermal conduction driven; alpha driven; and suppressed burn. Field transport due to extended-MHD is also observed to be important, enhancing magnetization near the burn front. In higher dimensions, burn front instabilities have the potential to degrade burn even more severely. Magneto-thermal type instabilities (previously observed in laser-heated plasmas [2] ) are of particular interest in this problem.
NotesISSN: 2576-7208
DOI10.1109/ICOPS45751.2022.9813321
Citation Keyoneill_modeling_2022