Achievement of Target Gain Larger than Unity in an Inertial Fusion Experiment

The Indirect Drive ICF Collaboration

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Abstract

On December 5, 2022, an indirect drive fusion implosion on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved a target gain Gtarget of 1.5. This is the first laboratory demonstration of exceeding "scientific breakeven"(or Gtarget>1) where 2.05 MJ of 351 nm laser light produced 3.1 MJ of total fusion yield, a result which significantly exceeds the Lawson criterion for fusion ignition as reported in a previous NIF implosion [H. Abu-Shawareb et al. (Indirect Drive ICF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 075001 (2022)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.129.075001]. This achievement is the culmination of more than five decades of research and gives proof that laboratory fusion, based on fundamental physics principles, is possible. This Letter reports on the target, laser, design, and experimental advancements that led to this result.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number065102
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume132
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 9 2024

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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