Numerical Simulation of Shock Wave Generation for Ignition of Precompressed Laser Fusion Target

Abstract

In this work, we investigate the formation of a converging shock wave in a homogeneous spherical target, whose outer layer was heated by a flux of monoenergetic fast electrons of a given particle energy. Ablation pressure generating the wave forms at spherical expansion of a layer of a heated substance, whose areal density remains constant throughout the entire heating process and equal to the product of the initial heating depth and density of the target. The studies are carried out based on numerical calculations using a one-dimensional hydrodynamic code as applied to ignition of a precompressed target by a shock wave (shock ignition), one of the most promising techniques of laser fusion ignition.