Xiuguang Huang | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

On the degradation of hot spot performance due to mid-to-high-mode hydrodynamic instabilities

In an ignited design of inertial confinement fusion, the role of mid-to-high-mode hydrodynamic instabilities in degrading hot-spot performance, beyond reducing temperature, remains unclear. To address this, we propose an isobaric criterion to assess the isobaric assumption that forms the theoretical basis of the hot spot. The most dangerous mode l = 12 is determined through a balance between perturbation growth and ablation stabilization induced by thermal conduction. Thermal conduction outperforms convection when the Peclet number is much less than 1. Therefore, for mid-to-high modes, thermal conduction makes the hot spot isobaric before the outer mass inflow restores the lost heat. Consequently, neglecting thermal conduction overestimates pressure and underestimates volume. These results enhance our understanding of mid-to-high modes in degrading hot-spot performance, and suggest that thermal conduction losses may reduce performance even if perturbations are nearly stabilized by ablation.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2026

A theoretical model for quantifying the imprinting sensitivity of direct-drive inertial confinement fusion implosions

To quantify the sensitivity of diverse implosion designs to laser imprinting, we developed an equivalent perturbation model that maps laser imprinting as the initial target surface perturbation. By incorporating imperfections in target fabrication and thermal smoothing in the plasma, the model shows a reduced implosion sensitivity to laser imprinting, extending the analysis beyond geometric irradiation. The imprinting sensitivity threshold is defined as $\frac{δh_{\text{proxy}}}{δh_{\text{tar}}(0)} = 0.1$, where $δh_{\text{proxy}}$ is the imprinting amplitude and $δh_{\text{tar}}(0)$ is the initial target perturbation amplitude. Radiation-hydrodynamics simulations confirm that when $\frac{δh_{\text{proxy}}}{δh_{\text{tar}(0)}} \leq 0.1$, variations in nonlinear onset time and adiabat remain within 12\% of that with $δh_{\text{tar}}(0)$ alone. Moreover, the imprinting sensitivity is supported by OMEGA experiments. Overall, for linear perturbations of medium-to-high modes in direct-drive, the model enhances our physical understanding of how laser and target perturbations evolve and serves as a simplified tool to optimize implosion performance.

physics.plasm-ph↗