Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) has existed as a field of study since the 1970s, but the field
was born out of the Cold War. In the decades since the 1960s, pioneering research …

The quest for controlled fusion energy has been ongoing for over a half century. The
demonstration of ignition and energy gain from thermonuclear fuels in the laboratory has …

The direct-drive, laser-based approach to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is reviewed from
its inception following the demonstration of the first laser to its implementation on the present …

Planar laser-plasma interaction (LPI) experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) have
allowed access for the first time to regimes of electron density scale length (∼ 500 to 700 μ …

Reaching ignition in direct-drive (DD) inertial confinement fusion implosions requires
achieving central pressures in excess of 100 Gbar. The OMEGA laser system [TR Boehly et …

Thresholds for the absolute stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and two-plasma decay
(TPD) instabilities driven by multiple broadband laser beams are evaluated using 3D …

The discovery of more than 4500 extrasolar planets has created a need for modeling their
interior structure and dynamics. Given the prominence of iron in planetary interiors, we …

The theory of ignition for inertial confinement fusion capsules [R. Betti et al., Phys. Plasmas
17, 058102 (2010)] is used to assess the performance requirements for cryogenic implosion …

The experimental evidence for multiple-beam laser-plasma instabilities of relevance to laser
driven inertial confinement fusion at the ignition scale is reviewed, in both the indirect and …

Laser–plasma interaction instabilities can be detrimental for direct-drive inertial confinement
fusion by generating high-energy electrons that preheat the target. An experimental platform …