Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Glebov, V

Publications and source records attributed to Glebov, V.

Role of shocks and mix caused by capsule defects

An Eulerian code with a turbulent mix model is used to model a set of plastic (CH) ablator capsules with and without equatorial grooves. The 'perfect' capsule results were used to calibrate simulations of capsules with equatorial grooves of different depths that provided information on increasingly perturbed implosions. Simulations with a turbulence model were able to calculate the same yield over mix (YOM) ratio (experiment/mix simulation) of 0.2 to 0.3 for thin (8-{mu}m thick) and thick shell (15-{mu}m thick) capsules with no grooves and thin capsules with shallow grooves. When the capsules have deep grooves, the YOM ratio increases to greater than unity, probably because the deformed shocks focus too strongly on the symmetry axis in our two-dimensional simulations. This is supported by a comparison of simulated and experimental x-ray images.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Numerical simulation of thin-shell direct drive DHe3-filled capsules fielded at OMEGA

Thin-shell deuterium-helium-3 (DHe{sup 3}) filled glass capsules on the Omega laser provide a fast-implosion experimental platform for developing separate time-resolved measurements of ion, electron, and radiation temperatures in nonequilibrium plasmas. Dynamically significant non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) conditions are created by the addition of xenon dopant to the DHe{sup 3} gas fill, in quantities sufficient to have an impact on yields, compression, and cooling rates. The high-Z dopant dramatically increases the radiative cooling rate in the plasma, allowing it to collapse in compressions that can be an order of magnitude higher than in undoped capsules. A baseline LASNEX simulation model using detailed configuration accounting NLTE atomic physics shows very good agreement with the data for doped as well as undoped capsules, while other models either underpredict or overpredict the radiative cooling enhancement. The baseline model captures the behavior of the capsule when the D:He{sup 3} ratio is varied well away from equimolar, suggesting no yield anomaly with either nearly pure deuterium or He{sup 3} fills. Variation of the electron-ion coupling in the baseline simulation model shows agreement with the data for a coupling multiplier that is within 20% of unity. Reliably inferring electron-ion coupling strength from the data is complicated by uncertainties in the hydrodynamic mix and other parameters, but many of these can be mitigated in follow-on experiments at the National Ignition Facility.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Neutron spectrometry - An essential tool for diagnosing implosions at the National Ignition Facility

DT neutron yield (Y{sub n}), ion temperature (T{sub i}) and down-scatter ratio (dsr) determined from measured neutron spectra are essential metrics for diagnosing the performance of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) implosions at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). A suite of neutron-Time-Of-Flight (nTOF) spectrometers and a Magnetic Recoil Spectrometer (MRS) have been implemented in different locations around the NIF target chamber, providing good implosion coverage and the redundancy required for reliable measurements of Yn, Ti and dsr. From the measured dsr value, an areal density ({rho}R) is determined from the relationship {rho}R{sub tot} (g/cm{sup 2}) = (20.4 {+-} 0.6) x dsr{sub 10-12 MeV}. The proportionality constant is determined considering implosion geometry, neutron attenuation and energy range used for the dsr measurement. To ensure high accuracy in the measurements, a series of commissioning experiments using exploding pushers have been used for in situ calibration. The spectrometers are now performing to the required accuracy, as indicated by the good agreement between the different measurements over several commissioning shots. In addition, recent data obtained with the MRS and nTOFs indicate that the implosion performance of cryogenically layered DT implosions, characterized by the experimental Ignition Threshold Factor (ITFx) which is a function of dsr (or fuel {rho}R) and Y{sub n}, has improved almost two orders of magnitude since the first shot in September, 2010.

42 ENGINEERING↗

South pole bang-time diagnostic on the National Ignition Facility

The south pole bang-time (SPBT) diagnostic views National Ignition Facility (NIF) implosions through the lower hohlraum laser entrance hole to measure the time of peak x-ray emission (peak compression) in indirect drive implosions. Five chemical-vapor-deposition (CVD) diamond photoconductive detectors (PCD's) with different filtrations and sensitivities record the time-varying x rays emitted by the target. Wavelength-selecting highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) crystal mirror monochromators increase the x-ray signal-to-background ratio by filtering for 11-keV emission. Diagnostic timing and the in-situ temporal instrument response function are determined from laser impulse shots on the NIF. After signal deconvolution and background removal, the bang time is determined to 45-ps accuracy. The x-ray 'yield' (mJ/sr/keV at 11 keV) is determined from the total area under the peak.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗