Overview of inertial fusion research in the United States

Abstract

The inertial confinement fusion (ICF) programme, the high-average-power lasers (HAPL) programme, and the heavy ion fusion (HIF) programme are making long-term investments to establish the scientific and technical basis for an economically and environmentally attractive fusion power source. In the near term, the National Ignition Campaign is expected to establish the scientific and technical basis for ignition and gain on the National Ignition Facility. The results of these experiments and the implications for target design will be incorporated into the long-term efforts to develop a viable power-plant concept including target production, chamber dynamics and driver.