Inertially confined fusion experiments using a 3D printed spherical capsule

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Bosque experimental platform investigates the effects of heterogeneous mix on thermonuclear burn, as well as explores the capabilities of 3D printed capsules. This experimental campaign on the OMEGA Laser Facility used 3D printed 2PP (two photon polymerization) plastic lattices inside spherical capsule shells that are filled with either H₂ gas for carbon-deuterium-oxygen (CDO) printed lattices or D₂ gas for carbon-hydrogen-oxygen (CHO) printed lattices. Experimental results were compared to numerical simulations, which assumes complete atomic mixing. Observed yields agree with the simulations in the case of the CHO lattices with a D₂ fill gas; however, in the case of CDO lattices with an H₂ fill gas the experiment produced lower yields than what the simulations predicted. This discrepancy is possibly due to the inadequacy of the assumption of thermal equilibrium between CDO lattices and H₂ gas. This possible inadequacy of thermal equilibrium is further investigated through the analysis of Spectrally Resolved Electron Temperature (SRTe) diagnostics on the OMEGA platform. From this experimental campaign, predictive capabilities on the effects of material mix have been improved for on-going Bosque experiments on the National Ignition Facility.