Next steps in solving the “Drive-Deficit” problem in modeling ICF experiments

Recently we have identified [1] the gold atomic data for the hohlraum coronal plasma to be the key contributor to the discrepancy between the measured and modeled radiation flux particularly for > 1.8 keV radiation. A revised model to bring the predicted radiation flux and the coronal plasma temperature into agreement with the measurement is presented. This model is shown to have partially solved the “Drive-Deficit” problem by reducing the discrepancy between the predicted and measured peak compression time (“Bang-time”) by more than half (from 300 ps to ~100 ps) [2]. The contributing factors to the remaining discrepancy are physical properties such as the equation-of-state and opacity of the capsule materials. To isolate the effect from variables experimentally, several targets are being pursued including the variations in high-Z dopant percentages and ablation materials.

[1] H. Chen et al., Phys. Rev. E 110, L013201 (2024); Phys. Plasmas 32, 042704 (2025)

[2] G. . Swadling et al., Phys. Plasmas 32, 052707 (2025); W. Farmer et al., Phys. Plasmas 32, 072709 (2025)