The low-mode shell asymmetry and high-mode hot spot mixing appear to be the main reasons for the performance degradation of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) implosion experiments. The effects of the mode coupling between low-mode P2 radiation flux asymmetry and intermediate-mode L= 24 capsule roughness on the implosion performance of ignition capsule are investigated by two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamic simulations. It is shown that the amplitudes of new modes generated by the mode coupling are in good agreement with the second-order mode coupling equation during the acceleration phase. The later flow field not only shows large areal density P2 asymmetry in the main fuel, but also generates large-amplitude spikes and bubbles. In the deceleration phase, the increasing mode coupling generates more new modes, and the perturbation spectrum on the hot spot boundary is mainly from the strong mode interactions rather than the initial perturbation conditions. The combination of the low-mode and high-mode perturbations breaks up the capsule shell, resulting in a significant reduction of the hot spot temperature and implosion performance.

X-ray drive asymmetry is one of the main seeds of low-mode implosion asymmetry that blocks further improvement of the nuclear performance of “high-foot” experiments on the National Ignition Facility [Miller et al., Nucl. Fusion 44, S228 (2004)]. More particularly, the P2 asymmetry of Au's M-band flux can also severely influence the implosion performance of ignition capsules [Li et al., Phys. Plasmas 23, 072705 (2016)]. Here we study the smoothing effect of mid- and/or high-Z dopants in ablator on Au's M-band flux asymmetries, by modeling and comparing the implosion processes of a Ge-doped ignition capsule and a Si-doped one driven by X-ray sources with P2 M-band flux asymmetry. As the results, (1) mid- or high-Z dopants absorb hard X-rays (M-band flux) and re-emit isotropically, which helps to smooth the asymmetric Mband flux arriving at the ablation front, therefore reducing the P2 asymmetries of the imploding shell and hot spot; (2) the smoothing effect of Ge-dopant is more remarkable than Si-dopant because its opacity in Au's M-band is higher than the latter's; and (3) placing the doped layer at a larger radius in ablator is more efficient. Applying this effect may not be a main measure to reduce the low-mode implosion asymmetry, but might be of significance in some critical situations such as inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments very near the performance cliffs of asymmetric X-ray drives.

为满足分层掺杂点火内爆靶辐射驱动不对称性全过程物理分析的需求，在激光聚变二维总体程序LARED集成上发展了辐射输运建模下的多介质ALE方法-RTALE(Radiative Transfer Arbitrary-Lagrangian-Eulerian)。为提高多介质ALE方法的健壮性，发展了驰豫网格重构算法，该重构算法生成的新网格能自适应流场的变化。数值模拟了激波与气柱相互作用的RM不稳定性实验，模拟的气泡变形程度与试验结果基本一致，其中驰豫网格重构算法中的驰豫因子能够很好地反映流场密度梯度。基于辐射多群输运建模的LARED集成程序能够完整模拟辐射驱动不对称性条件下掺杂点火靶二维内爆过程，克服了传统ALE方法计算不下去和算不好的困难，界面变形程度也符合物理分析。

激光等离子体相互作用(LPI)是制约在美国国家点火装置(NIF)上实现间接驱动惯性约束聚变的关键问题之一。LPI的激发不仅依赖于激光束功率密度与光束品质, 还强烈依赖于光束所经过的等离子体状态。模拟显示, 内环激光通道上靠近腔壁的He等离子体是受激拉曼散射(SRS)产生的主要区域。通过改变黑腔设计参数(包括构型、尺寸和填充物材料等)可以一定程度优化特定区域的等离子体状态, 进而抑制LPI的产生。据此, 提出了使用大黑腔高激光能量和改变填充气体组分两条控制SRS增长的技术路线。线性分析表明, 两条技术路线效果明显, 可分别将SRS峰值增益降低70%与63%。

在激光间接驱动惯性约束聚变(ICF)领域中, 获得具有极高空间分辨率(优于5 μm)的X射线辐射图像, 是研究烧蚀不稳定性、内爆流线等关键物理过程的数据基础。基于掠入射反射式成像原理的Kirkpatrick-Baez(KB)显微成像系统作为一种具有高空间分辨率和集光效率的X射线显微诊断设备, 目前已成为国际ICF装置的X射线关键诊断设备。在神光Ⅱ和神光Ⅲ原型装置条件上开展了KB诊断技术及设备的研究, 在KB系统的光学设计、光学元件和物镜与系统装调技术等方面取得了许多重要进展, 研制了大视场KB、多色KB等高分辨率X射线显微成像系统。这些系统已应用于我国的ICF内爆芯部发光和流线测量、流体不稳定增长测量等实验中, 为关键物理量的测量提供了高空间分辨率的清晰图像。

利用新研制的聚变反应速率测量系统, 在神光Ⅲ原型装置上测量了间接驱动时充DT气体的玻璃球壳内爆靶丸的聚变反应速率的时间历程, 获得了DT中子产额约为1010时的聚变反应速率随时间的变化过程, 发现了聚变中子发射在时间上的双峰结构。利用辐射流体程序对聚变中子在时间上的双峰结构进行了数值模拟, 发现双峰结构分别由冲击压缩过程和惯性压缩过程产生, 靶丸壳层厚度不同时产生的聚变中子发射双峰强度比变化可能是由靶丸的初始表面调制度不同所致。通过理论模拟与实验结果的对比, 验证了中子聚变反应历程的双峰结构。