Numerical and Theoretical Studies of Basic Issues for Fast Ignition: from Fast Particle Generation to Beam Driven Ignition

In all recently proposed schemes for laser-driven Fast Ignition (FI) of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) targets, two key elements are the conversion of the energy of a Petawatt laser pulse into a beam of strongly relativistic electrons and its transport through a dense plasma or a solid target. The electron beam may either drive ignition directly or be exploited to accelerate a proton beam which in turn is used to ignite the target. Both approaches to FI involve a number of physical processes that are challenging for theory and simulation. In this paper, theoretical and numerical investigations are presented concerning several fundamental issues of relevance to FI, including electron beam instabilities, electron transport in solid-density materials, and requirements for proton beam driven ignition.