OMEGA ICF experiments and preparation for direct drive ignition on NIF

Direct drive laser fusion ignition experiments rely on detailed understandi ng and control of irradiation uniformity, the Rayleigh-Taylor instability a nd target fabrication. The Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) is investi gating various theoretical aspects of a direct drive National Ignition Faci lity (NIF) ignition target based on an 'all-DT' design: a spherical target of similar to3.4 mm diameter, with a 1-2 mum CH wall thickness and a DT ice layer of similar to 340 mum near the triple point of DT (similar to 19 K). OMEGA experiments are designed to address the critical issues related to d irect drive laser fusion and to provide the necessary data to validate the predictive capability of LLE computer codes. The cryogenic targets to be us ed on OMEGA are hydrodynamically equivalent to those planned for the NIF. T he current experimental studies on OMEGA address the essential components o f direct drive laser fusion: irradiation uniformity and laser imprinting, R ayleigh-Taylor growth and saturation, compressed core performance and shell -fuel mixing, laser-plasma interactions and their effect on target performa nce, and cryogenic target fabrication and handling.