Spherical compression of an applied magnetic field in inertial confinement fusion

Fuente: arXiv
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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Spiers, R., Bose, A., Frank, C. A., Strozzi, D. J., Moody, J. D., Walsh, C. A., Hammel, B. A.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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_version_ 1866915963798028288
author Spiers, R.
Bose, A.
Frank, C. A.
Strozzi, D. J.
Moody, J. D.
Walsh, C. A.
Hammel, B. A.
author_facet Spiers, R.
Bose, A.
Frank, C. A.
Strozzi, D. J.
Moody, J. D.
Walsh, C. A.
Hammel, B. A.
contents Applying an external magnetic field to laser-driven inertial confinement fusion implosions is a promising approach for enhancing fusion yield. The field is compressed with the plasma, producing a magnetized hotspot that anisotropically suppresses thermal losses and traps alpha particles, making performance sensitive to the compressed field orientation. We derive a simple, readily applicable analytic model that enables rapid evaluation of the compressed field topology and show that ablation into the hotspot amplifies the central field, while the ablated ice near the hotspot edge develops a decaying, radially bent field, with a discontinuity in the field direction. The radially bent field renders thermal insulation at the hotspot edge negligible and largely independent of the applied field strength, whereas insulation in the hotspot core still depends strongly on the applied field. Applying the model to non-axial initial field configurations, we find that an initially applied mirror field provides the greatest suppression, followed by the standard axial field.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_08909
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Spherical compression of an applied magnetic field in inertial confinement fusion
Spiers, R.
Bose, A.
Frank, C. A.
Strozzi, D. J.
Moody, J. D.
Walsh, C. A.
Hammel, B. A.
Plasma Physics
Applying an external magnetic field to laser-driven inertial confinement fusion implosions is a promising approach for enhancing fusion yield. The field is compressed with the plasma, producing a magnetized hotspot that anisotropically suppresses thermal losses and traps alpha particles, making performance sensitive to the compressed field orientation. We derive a simple, readily applicable analytic model that enables rapid evaluation of the compressed field topology and show that ablation into the hotspot amplifies the central field, while the ablated ice near the hotspot edge develops a decaying, radially bent field, with a discontinuity in the field direction. The radially bent field renders thermal insulation at the hotspot edge negligible and largely independent of the applied field strength, whereas insulation in the hotspot core still depends strongly on the applied field. Applying the model to non-axial initial field configurations, we find that an initially applied mirror field provides the greatest suppression, followed by the standard axial field.
title Spherical compression of an applied magnetic field in inertial confinement fusion
topic Plasma Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.08909