Reduction of Energy Deposition Non-Uniformity by Adjustment of Pellet Structure for Heavy-Ion-Beam Inertial Confinement Fusion

We herein propose a fuel pellet with a flower-shaped tamper and an ablator layer filled with a heavier material as a heavy-ion inertial fusion target. The proposed fuel pellet structure successfully mitigates the non-uniformity of energy deposition owing to the different penetration depths at different parts of the incident heavy-ion beams. The heavier material in the ablator interferes with the movement of the ablator material. The low-density region in the ablator layer at the edge of the irradiated area is mitigated, and direct heating of the fuel by heavy-ion beams is prevented. (C) 2022 The Japan Society of Plasma Science and Nuclear Fusion Research