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Lawson Criterion for Ignition Exceeded in an Inertial Fusion Experiment

Abu-Shawareb, H. ; Pickworth, L. LU ; Zylstra, A.B. and Collaboration), (Indirect Drive ICF (2022) In Physical Review Letters 129(7).
Abstract
For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin “burn propagation” into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While “scientific breakeven” (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser... (More)
For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin “burn propagation” into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While “scientific breakeven” (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion. (Less)
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; ; and
author collaboration
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Physical Review Letters
volume
129
issue
7
article number
075001
publisher
American Physical Society
external identifiers
  • scopus:85136123886
  • pmid:36018710
ISSN
0031-9007
DOI
10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.075001
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e6b8bd8d-b1b6-4800-87a5-98fd9e6d9cf8
date added to LUP
2023-01-12 16:37:06
date last changed
2023-01-13 03:00:03
@article{e6b8bd8d-b1b6-4800-87a5-98fd9e6d9cf8,
  abstract     = {{For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin “burn propagation” into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While “scientific breakeven” (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion.}},
  author       = {{Abu-Shawareb, H. and Pickworth, L. and Zylstra, A.B. and Collaboration), (Indirect Drive ICF}},
  issn         = {{0031-9007}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  publisher    = {{American Physical Society}},
  series       = {{Physical Review Letters}},
  title        = {{Lawson Criterion for Ignition Exceeded in an Inertial Fusion Experiment}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.075001}},
  doi          = {{10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.075001}},
  volume       = {{129}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}