An introduction to inertial confinement fusion

Susanne Pfalzner0750307013, 9780750307017, 9781420011845

Newcomers to the field of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) often have difficulty establishing a clear picture of the overall field. The reason for this is because, while there are many books devoted to special topics within the field, there is none that provides an overview of the field as a whole. An Introduction to Inertial Confinement Fusion fills this gap with an overview of the processes involved in ICF presented at an accessible level. After a broad overview, the book follows the processes from the driver technology to burn physics in chronological order. As each topic appears, the author details the physical concepts and obstacles. The book concludes with a look to the future prospects of the field.

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Table of contents :
Preface……Page 8
Contents……Page 10
1. Fundamentals of Inertial Confinement Fusion……Page 13
2. Laser Drivers for Inertial Confinement Fusion……Page 37
3. Basic Plasma Physics……Page 62
4. Absorption of Laser Light……Page 85
5. Hydrodynamic Compression and Burn……Page 115
6. Rayleigh-Taylor Instabilities……Page 138
7. Energy Requirements and Gain……Page 154
8. Targets……Page 167
9. Inertial Confinement Fusion Power Plant……Page 181
10. Heavy-ion Driven Fusion……Page 194
11. Fast Ignitor……Page 206
12. ABCs of ICF……Page 214
Appendices……Page 223
References……Page 231
Index……Page 240