Extrapolation of implosion performance between different laser energy scales is investigated for indirect drive through a semi-hydro-equivalent design. Since radiation transport is non-hydro-equivalent, the peak radiation temperature of the hohlraum and the ablation velocity of the capsule ablator are not scale-invariant when the sizes of the hohlraum and the capsule are scale-varied. A semi-hydro-equivalent design method that keeps the implosion velocity V_i, adiabat α_F, and PL/Rhc2 (where P_L is the laser power and R_hc is the hohlraum and capsule scale length) scale-invariant, is proposed to create hydrodynamically similar implosions. The semi-hydro-equivalent design and the scaled implosion performance are investigated for the 100 kJ Laser Facility (100 kJ-scale) and the National Ignition Facility (NIF-scale) with about 2 MJ laser energy. It is found that the one-dimensional implosion performance is approximately hydro-equivalent when V_i and α_F are kept the same. Owing to the non-hydro-equivalent radiation transport, the yield-over-clean without α-particle heating (YOC_noα) is slightly lower at 100 kJ-scale than at NIF-scale for the same scaled radiation asymmetry or the same initial perturbation of the hydrodynamic instability. The overall scaled two-dimensional implosion performance is slightly lower at 100 kJ-scale. The general Lawson criterion factor scales as χnoα2D∼S1.06±0.04 (where S is the scale-variation factor) for the semi-hydro-equivalent implosion design with a moderate YOC_noα. Our study indicates that χ_noα ≈ 0.379 is the minimum requirement for the 100 kJ-scale implosion to demonstrate the ability to achieve marginal ignition at NIF-scale.

The effects of electron nonlocal heat transport (NLHT) on the two-dimensional single-mode ablative Rayleigh–Taylor instability (ARTI) up to the highly nonlinear phase are reported for the first time through numerical simulations with a multigroup diffusion model. It is found that as well as its role in the linear stabilization of ARTI growth, NLHT can also mitigate ARTI bubble nonlinear growth after the first saturation to the classical terminal velocity, compared with what is predicted by the local Spitzer–Härm model. The key factor affecting the reduction in the linear growth rate is the enhancement of the ablation velocity V_a by preheating. It is found that NLHT mitigates nonlinear bubble growth through a mechanism involving reduction of vorticity generation. NLHT enhances ablation near the spike tip and slows down the spike, leading to weaker vortex generation as the pump of bubble reacceleration in the nonlinear stage. NLHT more effectively reduces the nonlinear growth of shorter-wavelength ARTI modes seeded by the laser imprinting phase in direct-drive laser fusion.

激光聚变有望一劳永逸地解决人类的能源问题，因而受到国际社会的普遍重视，一直是国际研究的前沿热点。目前实现激光惯性约束聚变所面临的最大科学障碍（属于内禀困难）是对内爆过程中高能量密度流体力学不稳定性引起的非线性流动的有效控制，对其研究涵盖高能量密度物理、等离子体物理、流体力学、计算科学、强冲击物理和高压原子物理等多个学科，同时还要具备大规模多物理多尺度多介质流动的数值模拟能力和高功率大型激光装置等研究条件。作为新兴研究课题，高能量密度非线性流动问题充满了各种新奇的现象亟待探索。此外，流体力学不稳定性及其引起的湍流混合，还是天体物理现象（如星系碰撞与合并、恒星演化、原始恒星的形成以及超新星爆炸）中的重要过程，涉及天体物理的一些核心研究内容。本文首先综述了高能量密度非线性流动研究的现状和进展，梳理了其中的挑战和机遇。然后介绍了传统中心点火激光聚变内爆过程发生的主要流体力学不稳定性，在大量分解和综合物理研究基础上，凝练出了目前制约美国国家点火装置（NIF）内爆性能的主要流体不稳定性问题。接下来，总结了国外激光聚变流体不稳定性实验物理的研究概况。最后，展示了内爆物理团队近些年在激光聚变内爆流体不稳定性基础性问题方面的主要研究进展。该团队一直从事激光聚变内爆非线性流动研究与控制，以及聚变靶物理研究与设计，注重理论探索和实验研究相结合，近年来在内爆重要流体力学不稳定性问题的解析理论、数值模拟和激光装置实验设计与数据分析等方面取得了一系列重要成果，有力地推动了该研究方向在国内的发展。

当前，激光惯性约束聚变在越来越接近点火的极端能量密度条件下，实验与模拟的偏离逐渐增大，一个关键原因是缺乏对黑腔等离子体状态及其影响黑腔能量学和内爆对称性的细致研究和判断。光学汤姆逊散射主动式、诊断精确、参数完备的优点，使之成为激光惯性约束聚变黑腔等离子体状态参数精密诊断的标准方法。中国面向激光惯性约束聚变研究的光学汤姆逊散射实验技术的发展与神光系列激光装置的建设和在其上开展的物理实验紧密相关。近年来，四倍频汤姆逊散射实验技术在神光III原型和100 kJ激光装置上相继建立，部分实验结果不仅加深了对激光惯性约束聚变靶物理的认识，还反映了实验条件对汤姆逊散射诊断的影响，促进了实验技术的精密化发展。在未来，还需要进一步发展多支路汤姆逊散射、五倍频汤姆逊散射和超热相干汤姆逊散射等新技术，面向点火黑腔条件，大幅提升激光等离子体状态参数的诊断精度，开展新物理机制的探索和研究，在激光惯性约束聚变和其他高能量密度物理科学领域发挥更重要的作用。