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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
Laser direct-drive implosions on the OMEGA laser have likely achieved core conditions [1] that would lead to gain well above unity at laser energies typical of the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This projection relies on the assumption that hydrodynamic efficiency remains essentially constant as the laser energy increases, allowing OMEGA performance to scale to larger targets with laser energy growing in proportion to target volume. Recent advances—including Si doped CH ablators, machine learning optimized pulse shapes, and DT subcooling below the triple point—have enabled these high performance implosions. Although current designs operate on a relatively high adiabat, limiting compressibility, new hybrid direct–indirect drive concepts are being developed to reduce the adiabat, increase compression, and boost fusion yield and target gain. Simulations predict that these hybrid designs could achieve near–one dimensional performance on OMEGA and produce core conditions with measurable alpha heating using only 29 kJ of laser energy [2].
[1] V. Gopalaswamy et al, American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics, Long Beach CA (2025)
P. Farmakis et al, American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics, Long Beach CA (2025)
Bio: Riccardo Betti (PhD) is the Robert L. McCrory Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester. He is also the Chief Scientist of the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. His research involves high temperature plasma physics with applications to nuclear fusion. He served as Chair of the Division of Plasma Physics of the American Physical Society, Vice Chair of the Fusion Energy Science Advisory Committee of the US Department of Energy, Chair of the Plasma Science Committee of the National Research Council and Member of the Board of Physics and Astronomy of the US National Academy of Science. He received the J. Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research by the American Physical Society, the Blaise Pascal Medal from the European Academy of Science, the Landau-Spitzer Award from the American and European Physical Societies, the Edward Teller Medal from the American Nuclear Society, the E.O. Lawrence Award from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Leadership Award from Fusion Power Associates, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the UR Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He co-authored over 300 peer-reviewed papers and supervised over 30 postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. He received his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992.
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