CYLINDRICAL TARGETS FOR THE FAST IGNITER SCHEME

Using a two-dimensional hydrocode, the collapse of the mid-section of a cylindrical shell target is investigated. The suitability of the res ulting compressed plasma for the 'hole boring' and 'ignition' stages o f the fast igniter scheme for inertial confinement fusion is considere d. We estimate that for the implosion model considered, the cylindrica l targets investigated offer less gain for a given amount of input ene rgy than conventional spherical targets. From our simplified model we find that it is better to bore radially rather than along the axis.