Search NASA⌕ Search

DOE OSTI · 2540001

Magnetized ICF implosions: non-axial magnetic field topologies

Abstract

This paper explores four different magnetic field topologies for application to spherical inertial confinement fusion implosions: axial, mirror, cusp and closed field lines. A mirror field is found to enhance the impact of magnetization over an axial field; this is because the mirror field more closely follows the hot-spot surface. A cusp field, while simple to generate, is not found to have any benefits over the tried-and-tested axial field. Closed field lines are found to be of the greatest benefit to hot-spot performance, with the simulated design undergoing a 2× increase in ion temperature before α-heating is considered. The plasma properties of the simulation with closed field lines are radically different from the unmagnetized counterpart, with electron temperatures in excess of 100 keV, suggesting that a fundamental redesign of the capsule implosion is possible if this method is pursued.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Walsh, C. A. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000266393543), Strozzi, D. J. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000188143791), Povilus, A. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)], O’Neill, S. T. [Imperial College, London (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)] (ORCID:0000000274186675), Leal, L. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)], Pollock, B. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000345340941), Sio, H. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)] (ORCID:000000017274236X), Hammel, B. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000801354114), Djordjević, B. Z. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000266774813), Chittenden, J. P. [Imperial College, London (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)] (ORCID:0000000270394012), Moody, J. D. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000331320122). 2025-02-28. Magnetized ICF implosions: non-axial magnetic field topologies. https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326%2Fadb7f0

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related reports

Fast solvers for tokamak fluid models with PETSc

Multigrid (MG) is widely recognized as a highly effective solver for the model problem, the Laplacian, but textbook MG fails on most problems of interest. MG methods have been applied to complex, real-world applications with careful consideration of the physical model and discretization. In this work we develop the first step in applying MG methods to science and engineering relevant magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) tokamak models in the M3D-C1 (https://m3dc1.pppl.gov) fusion energy science code. The semi-implicit time integrator in M3D-C1 is composed of many linear solves. The implicit advance of the momentum equation is the most challenging and is the focus of this work. The current production solver in M3D-C1 is a block Jacobi (BJ) preconditioner within a Krylov solver, where blocks group degrees of freedom on planes of constant toroidal coordinate. BJ convergence degrades as the number of planes increases due to the spectral properties of the matrix preconditioned with BJ. The partially magnetic field-aligned, regular toroidal grid structure in M3D-C1 is amenable to semi-coarsening geometric MG in the toroidal direction. This paper develops such a solver and demonstrates competitive performance on a runaway electron model of a SPARC (https://cfs.energy/technology/sparc) disruption, and superior robustness on a stellarator model on which the BJ solver fails to converge.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Final Report: A Multi-Channel Fusion Product

The goal of this project was to measure charged fusion products from the d(d,p)t reaction in MAST-U plasmas as a function of time and position with good energy resolution using a system of up to six charged particle detectors. The data from this new diagnostic will make it possible to determine the neutral beam ion density profile as a function of R, z, and t with reduced model dependency and contribute new information to a global analysis of fast ion diagnostic data needed for the determination of the fast ion distribution function (velocity space tomography).

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Unitary Qubit Lattice Algorithms for Plasma Physics

This final technical report summarizes research conducted under DOE Award DE-SC0021653 to develop unitary Quantum Lattice Algorithms for modeling electromagnetic wave propagation and scattering in complex media, including plasmas. The project developed and validated quantum-inspired formulations of Maxwell's equations that preserve unitary evolution and can be evaluated on classical high-performance computing systems while providing a foundation for future quantum-computing implementations. Major accomplishments include the development of two- and three-dimensional algorithms for electromagnetic scattering; scalable, distributed-memory implementations demonstrated on the Perlmutter supercomputer; formulations for nonlinear lossless fluid dynamics and cold, lossless, inhomogeneous magnetized plasmas; and an explicit quantum algorithm for a time-discretized Lorenz model. Simulations reproduced a range of characteristic wave phenomena, including transient effects that are not readily apparent in conventional frequency-domain studies, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed approach for modeling complex electromagnetic and plasma systems. The work establishes a unified theoretical and computational framework for quantum and quantum-inspired simulation and provides a foundation for future implementation on fault-tolerant quantum systems.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗