title: First Liquid Layer Inertial Confinement Fusion Implosions at the National Ignition Facility.
abstract: The first cryogenic deuterium and deuterium-tritium liquid layer implosions at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) demonstrate D_{2} and DT layer inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions that can access a low-to-moderate hot-spot convergence ratio (12<CR<25). Previous ICF experiments at the NIF utilized high convergence (CR>30) DT ice layer implosions. Although high CR is desirable in an idealized 1D sense, it amplifies the deleterious effects of asymmetries. To date, these asymmetries prevented the achievement of ignition at the NIF and are the major cause of simulation-experiment disagreement. In the initial liquid layer experiments, high neutron yields were achieved with CRs of 12-17, and the hot-spot formation is well understood, demonstrated by a good agreement between the experimental data and the radiation hydrodynamic simulations. These initial experiments open a new NIF experimental capability that provides an opportunity to explore the relationship between hot-spot convergence ratio and the robustness of hot-spot formation during ICF implosions.
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, California 94551, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, California 94551, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, California 94551, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, California 94551, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, California 94551, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, California 94551, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, California 94551, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, California 94551, USA.
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authors.affiliation: General Atomics (GA), San Diego, California 92186, USA.
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authors.initials: JW
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authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA.
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authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA.
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authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA.
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authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, California 94551, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, California 94551, USA.
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authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA.
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