Low-preheat cryogenic implosion experiments with a shaped 0.53-<i>μ</i>m laser pulse

Abstract

Spherical implosion experiments have been performed using shaped laser pulses at ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{0}$=0.53 \ensuremath{\mu}m to illuminate deuterium-filled polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) spherical shells. The deuterium fuel was cryogenically cooled to form a uniform frozen fuel layer. Plasma diagnostics included time-resolved x-ray radiography and multiframe holographic interferometry. These and other measurements in conjunction with hydrodynamic simulations establish the importance of shaped laser pulses in achieving high fuel compressions.