We present a simplified version of an average-atom collisional-radiative model employing both local-thermodynamic-equilibrium average-atom and isolated-ion atomic data. The simplifications introduced do not lead to any substantial errors, and they significantly speed up calculations compared with the basic average-atom model involving direct solution of the self-consistent-field equations. Average ion charges, charge state distributions, and emission spectra of non-local-thermodynamic-equilibrium (NLTE) gold plasmas calculated using various modifications of the average-atom collisional-radiative model are compared with those obtained using the THERMOS model with the detailed configuration accounting approach. We also propose an efficient method to calculate thermodynamic functions of NLTE plasmas in the context of the simplified average-atom collisional-radiative model.

A method is proposed for compressing laser pulses by fast-extending plasma gratings (FEPGs), which are created by ionizing a hypersonic wave generated by stimulated Brillouin scattering in a background gas. Ionized by a short laser pulse, the phonon forms a light-velocity FEPG to fully reflect a resonant pump laser. As the reflecting surface moves with the velocity of light, the reflected pulse is temporally overlapped and compressed. One- and two-dimensional fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations with a laser wavelength of 1 µm show that in this regime, a pump pulse is compressed from 10–40 ps to 7–10 fs (i.e., a few optical cycles), with a two-dimensional transfer efficiency up to 60%. This method is a promising way to produce critical laser powers while avoiding several significant problems that arise in plasma-based compressors, including an unwanted linear stage, major plasma instabilities, and the need for seed preparation.

In this work, the high-energy-density plasmas (HEDP) evolved from joule-class-femtosecond-laser-irradiated nanowire-array (NWA) targets were numerically and experimentally studied. The results of particle-in-cell simulations indicate that ions accelerated in the sheath field around the surfaces of the nanowires are eventually confined in a plasma, contributing most to the high energy densities. The protons emitted from the front surfaces of the NWA targets provide rich information about the interactions that occur. We give the electron and ion energy densities for broad target parameter ranges. The ion energy densities from NWA targets were found to be an order of magnitude higher than those from planar targets, and the volume of the HEDP was several-fold greater. At optimal target parameters, 8% of the laser energy can be converted to confined protons, and this results in ion energy densities at the GJ/cm3 level. In the experiments, the measured energy of the emitted protons reached 4 MeV, and the changes in energy with the NWA’s parameters were found to fit the simulation results well. Experimental measurements of neutrons from 2H(d,n)3He fusion with a yield of (24 ± 18) × 106/J from deuterated polyethylene NWA targets also confirmed these results.

A recently proposed octahedral spherical hohlraum with six laser entrance holes (LEHs) is an attractive concept for an upgraded laser facility aiming at a predictable and reproducible fusion gain with a simple target design. However, with the laser energies available at present, LEH size can be a critical issue. Owing to the uncertainties in simulation results, the LEH size should be determined on the basis of experimental evidence. However, determination of LEH size of an ignition target at a small-scale laser facility poses difficulties. In this paper, we propose to use the prepulse of an ignition pulse to determine the LEH size for ignition-scale hohlraums via LEH closure behavior, and we present convincing evidence from multiple diagnostics at the SGIII facility with ignition-scale hohlraum, laser prepulse, and laser beam size. The LEH closure observed in our experiment is in agreement with data from the National Ignition Facility. The total LEH area of the octahedral hohlraum is found to be very close to that of a cylindrical hohlraum, thus successfully demonstrating the feasibility of the octahedral hohlraum in terms of laser energy, which is crucially important for sizing an ignition-scale octahedrally configured laser system. This work provides a novel way to determine the LEH size of an ignition target at a small-scale laser facility, and it can be applied to other hohlraum configurations for the indirect drive approach.

We describe the development of a 3D Monte-Carlo model to study hot-electron transport in ionized or partially ionized targets, considering regimes typical of inertial confinement fusion. Electron collisions are modeled using a mixed simulation algorithm that considers both soft and hard scattering phenomena. Soft collisions are modeled according to multiple-scattering theories, i.e., considering the global effects of the scattering centers on the primary particle. Hard collisions are simulated by considering a two-body interaction between an electron and a plasma particle. Appropriate differential cross sections are adopted to correctly model scattering in ionized or partially ionized targets. In particular, an analytical form of the differential cross section that describes a collision between an electron and the nucleus of a partially ionized atom in a plasma is proposed. The loss of energy is treated according to the continuous slowing down approximation in a plasma stopping power theory. Validation against Geant4 is presented. The code will be implemented as a module in 3D hydrodynamic codes, providing a basis for the development of robust shock ignition schemes and allowing more precise interpretations of current experiments in planar or spherical geometries.

We describe two numerical investigations performed using a 3D plasma Monte-Carlo code, developed to study hot-electron transport in the context of inertial confinement fusion. The code simulates the propagation of hot electrons in ionized targets, using appropriate scattering differential cross sections with free plasma electrons and ionized or partially ionized atoms. In this paper, we show that a target in the plasma state stops and diffuses electrons more effectively than a cold target (i.e., a target under standard conditions in which ionization is absent). This is related to the fact that in a plasma, the nuclear potential of plasma nuclei has a greater range than in the cold case, where the screening distance is determined by the electronic structure of atoms. However, in the ablation zone created by laser interaction, electrons undergo less severe scattering, counterbalancing the enhanced diffusion that occurs in the bulk. We also show that hard collisions, i.e., collisions with large polar scattering angle, play a primary role in electron beam diffusion and should not be neglected. An application of the plasma Monte-Carlo model to typical shock ignition implosions suggests that hot electrons will not give rise to any preheating concerns if their Maxwellian temperature is lower than 25–30 keV, although the presence of populations at higher temperatures must be suppressed. This result does not depend strongly on the initial angular divergence of the electron beam set in the simulations.

Water has remarkable effects on the properties of mantle rocks, but, owing to the high temperatures in the mantle, uncertainties remain about how and how much water is transported into the deep Earth. Recent studies have shown that stishovite and post-stishovites as high-pressure phases of SiO2 have the potential to carry weight percent levels of water into the Earth’s interior along the geotherm of the subducting oceanic crust. As slabs are subducted to the deepest mantle, dehydration of these dense hydrous silica phases has the potential to change the physicochemical properties of the mantle by reducing melting points, forming new high-pressure phases, and enhancing the oxygen fugacity heterogeneity of the lower mantle.

High pressures induce changes of properties and structures that could greatly impact materials science if such changes were preserved for ambient applications. Mimicking the geological process of diamond formation that the pressures and high-pressure phases in diamond inclusions can be preserved by the strong diamond envelope, we discuss the perspectives that such process revolutionizes high-pressure science and technology and opens a great potential for creation of functional materials with extremely favorable properties.