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Inertial Confinement Fusion

All articles tagged with #inertial confinement fusion

Lab Replays Neptune’s Diamond Rain to Sharpen Fusion Power Prospects
science8 days ago

Lab Replays Neptune’s Diamond Rain to Sharpen Fusion Power Prospects

Lawrence Livermore researchers used laser-driven shocks on tiny diamond samples to reproduce the extreme pressures and temperatures found deep in Neptune and Uranus, melting diamond while recording its atomic structure, temperature, density and reflectivity. The work suggests slower initial shocks could improve fuel compressibility and boost energy yield in inertial confinement fusion, offering new atomic-scale benchmarks for modeling ice-giant atmospheres and guiding fusion experiments.

Diamond Remains Diamond Under Extreme Shocks, Solving 20-Year Melting Mystery
science8 days ago

Diamond Remains Diamond Under Extreme Shocks, Solving 20-Year Melting Mystery

Laser-driven shock experiments up to pressures beyond Neptune’s core show diamond melts without forming an intermediate phase, and melting temperatures now match quantum simulations—resolving a 20-year discrepancy. The results hint that slightly slower initial shocks could triple fusion energy gain in inertial confinement fusion and provide tighter constraints for modeling diamond rain in ice giants like Neptune and Uranus.

Diamond melts under extreme pressure, aligning with theory and boosting fusion energy prospects
space11 days ago

Diamond melts under extreme pressure, aligning with theory and boosting fusion energy prospects

LLNL researchers used the Omega Laser Facility to shock-compress synthetic diamond up to about 1 terapascals, directly observing melting via X-ray diffraction and finding the diamond retains its cubic structure all the way to melting. The results resolve a ~20-year gap between experiments and theory, show that a weaker initial shock could fully melt diamond in NIF implosions to improve fuel compressibility and energy yield, and provide tighter constraints on carbon behavior under extreme pressures relevant to ice-giant interiors (diamond rain).

Diamond under extreme pressure hints at 3x fusion energy gain
energy14 days ago

Diamond under extreme pressure hints at 3x fusion energy gain

Researchers at LLNL found that diamond melts under extreme pressures (up to 1 TPa) and temperatures around 7,300 K via shock compression, resolving decades-long discrepancies between experiments and simulations; the findings, which indicate a shock-induced melting pathway and persistence of diamond structure, could triple energy gain in laser-driven inertial confinement fusion and inform models of planetary interiors.

"Breakthrough in Direct-Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion Exceeds Energy Input"
science-and-technology2 years ago

"Breakthrough in Direct-Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion Exceeds Energy Input"

Scientists from the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics have developed an effective "spark plug" for direct-drive methods of inertial confinement fusion (ICF), demonstrating the ability to achieve fusion reactions that produce more energy than the amount of energy in the central hot plasma. The experiments, conducted using the OMEGA laser system, represent a significant step towards achieving fusion at a future facility and offer promising implications for the future of laser fusion technology.