Laser-driven inertial confinement fusion (ICF): principles, status and perspective for energy production after the achievement of ignition at the NIF

by Stefano Atzeni (Dipartimento SBAI, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”)

Monday 23 Jan 2023, 14:00 → 15:30 Europe/Rome

Aula Conversi (Dip. di Fisica - Edificio G. Marconi)

On December 5, 2022, thermonuclear ignition of a deuterium-tritium mixture was demonstrated in an ICF experiment at the National Ignition Facility (NIF, Livermore). This result has aroused great interest even outside the scientific community, and generated great expectations on future production of electrical energy by “inertial fusion energy (IFE)”.In this talk, I will first introduce the basic principles of ICF by laser-driven spherical implosion, the relevant ignition conditions, as well as the main physics issues. I will then report on the experimental progress culminating in the achievement of ignition. I will then present my personal view on the future of ICF and the long, difficult, but exciting path towards IFE.

Link zoom:

https://uniroma1.zoom.us/j/87038625161?pwd=cEtGRjZNT2VWSlJIWmxaYmxSMDhRZz09#success

Roma-INFN-20230123actual[690].pdf