Laser-Plasma Interaction and High Pressure Generation for Inertial Fusion and Basic Science

Short-wavelength pulsed lasers can generate extreme conditions in small samples of matter. In particular, nanosecond pulses of submicrometre wavelength can drive collisional shock waves with pressures even in excess of 100 Mbar. A major application is inertial confinement fusion (ICF), but simulation of astrophysical processes and materials studies are receiving increasing attention. In this paper, the fundamentals of ablative pressure generation in the collisional absorption regime are first reviewed. The basic ICF requirements and practical schemes for the achievement of the needed pressures (of the order of 100 Gbar) are then considered. Issues concerning energy coupling, pressure amplification, shock uniformity, and hydrodynamic stability are briefly addressed. In conclusion, a few achievements are mentioned, and their implications for planned ICF ignition experiments are discussed.