Inertial Confinement Fusion: An Introduction; The Energy of the Stars
Ursula Balent (illustrations) and Eugene Kowaluk ( Rochester, NY: University of Rochester, Laboratory of Laser Energetics. Wraps. vi, 62 pages. Illustrations (some in color). Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is a type of fusion energy research that attempts to initiate nuclear fusion reactions by heating and compressing a fuel target, typically in the form of a pellet that most often contains a mixture of deuterium and tritium. Energy is delivered to the outer layer of the target using high-energy beams of laser light, electrons or ions. The heated outer layer explodes outward, producing a reaction force against the remainder of the target, accelerating it inwards, compressing the target. This process is designed to create shock waves that travel inward through the target. A sufficiently powerful set of shock waves can compress and heat the fuel at the center so much that fusion reactions occur. The energy released by these reactions will then heat the surrounding fuel, and if the heating is strong enough this could also begin to undergo fusion. ICF is one of two major branches of fusion energy research, the other being magnetic confinement fusion. The Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) is a scientific research facility which is part of the University of Rochester. The lab was established in 1970. The Laser Lab was commissioned to serve as a center for investigations of high-energy physics, specifically those involving the interaction of extremely intense laser radiation with matter. Scientific experiments are performed with a strong emphasis on inertial confinement, direct drive, laser-induced fusion. The laboratory is unique in conducting big science on a university campus. In 1985, Donna Strickland and Gérard Mourou invent a method to amplify lasers pulses by "chirping". Chirp pulsed amplification became instrumental in building the National Ignition Facility and the Omega EP system. In 1995, the omega laser was increased to 60 beams system and in 2008 the Omega extended performance system was opened. The OMEGA laser at the LLE is one of the most powerful and highest energy lasers in the world. It is a 60-beam ultraviolet frequency-tripled neodymium glass laser, which is capable of delivering 30 kilojoules at up to 60 terawatts onto a target less than 1 millimeter in diameter. Condition: Very good.
Keywords: Inertial Confinement Fusion, ICF, Omega Laser, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Deuterium, Tritium, Direct-Drive, Indirect-Drive, Nuclear Fusion, Energy Conversion, Energy Equivalence, Frank Horton
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