Performance of liquid DT-filled double shell implosions at the National Ignition Facility

Double shell implosions at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) aim to achieve volume burn by employing a molybdenum or tungsten metal pusher, driven indirectly within a hohlraum [1]. In recent years, the double shell experimental campaign has conducted over six liquid deuterium-tritium (DT) filled implosions at NIF [2]. These experiments have demonstrated a greater than tenfold increase in DT neutron yield, reaching a peak of approximately 3 × 10¹⁴.

Despite this significant progress, several critical challenges must be overcome to reach the burning plasma regime in double shell configurations [3]. This presentation will provide an overview of the nuclear performance metrics of these implosions, including fuel areal density, ion temperature, stagnation pressure, and primary neutron image characteristics. Additionally, we will address key issues such as asymmetries observed in primary neutron images and bulk motion of the hot spot, which affect implosion symmetry and performance.