Implosions on OMEGA Exceed 50-Gbar Hot-Spot Pressures

2015:

Hot-spot pressures greater than 50 Gbar were achieved in direct-drive layered DT cryogenic implosions on OMEGA. A combination of laser and target improvements on OMEGA, as well as upgraded nuclear and x-ray diagnostics, led to the >50-Gbar observation. These experiments are part of an LLE campaign to demonstrate fuel pressures of 100 Gbar—the pressure required to demonstrate hydrodynamic equivalence on OMEGA to a direct-drive–ignition capsule at the National Ignition Facility.

Shown here is Cryogenic DT target implosion creating a compressed fusion fuel pressure >50 Gbar