The Role of Material Properties in Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion Performance

The Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) concept combines fuel magnetization, laser preheat and compression of a fuel-filled liner (cylindrical tube) with a pulsed power driver to achieve thermonuclear yields [1] [2]. While recent work on the Z generator at Sandia National Laboratories has improved the performance of this platform, the implosion stability remains a challenge. This stability is impacted by the material properties of the liner including its density and conductivity whose dependence on temperature can result in rapid growth of the electrothermal instability early in time [3]. This talk will summarize recent progress with the MagLIF platform and ongoing efforts to improve implosion stability by altering the material composition of liners. To further accelerate the development of this research line, novel equation-of-state and conductivity tables are needed that span from the kBar up to the Gbar range.



[1]: S. A. Slutz et al., Physics of Plasmas 17, 056303 (2010)

[2]: M. R. Gomez et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 155003 (2014)

[3]: K. J. Peterson et al., Phys. Plasmas 19, 092701 (2012)