DYNAMIC EVOLUTION OF FUSION PROCESSES IN ULTRAHIGH-PRESSURE LIQUID-METALLIC HYDROGEN - EFFECTS OF SELF-HEATING AND RADIATIVE COOLING

Temporal evolution of enhanced pycnonuclear reactions and resultant th ermohydrodynamic expansion in ultrahigh-pressure liquid-metallic hydro gen have been analyzed by taking into account the heating effect of th e charged fusion yields and the cooling effect by radiation. It is pre dicted that the p-d reactions, starting with the initial conditions fo r the fuel material, (mass density, temperature, pressure) = (10 g/cm( 3) 900 K, 130 Mbar), may last for 10(-3) fs, yielding a net gain of th ermal energy by a factor of 10(4); the temperature 4 x 10(5) K, attain ed in the final stage, may not be high enough to re-ignite thermonucle ar reactions, however. The d-t reactions, starting with the initial co nditions (10(4) g/cm(3), 16, 100 K, 10(7) Mbar), may last for 10(-3) f s and yield a thermal gain by a factor of 24, raising the fuel tempera ture to approximately 4 x 10(7) K, which is sufficient to re-ignite th e thermonuclear reactions, leading to a total gain factor of 90.