Hohlraum
Encyclopedia
In radiation
thermodynamics
, a hohlraum (a non-specific German
word for a "hollow area" or "cavity") is a cavity whose walls are in radiative equilibrium with the radiant energy
within the cavity. This idealized cavity can be approximated in practice by making a small perforation in the wall of a hollow container of any opaque
material. The radiation escaping through such a perforation will be a good approximation to blackbody radiation at the temperature of the interior of the container.
The indirect drive approach to inertial confinement fusion
is as follows; the fusion
fuel capsule is held inside a cylindrical hohlraum. The radiation source (e.g., laser
) is pointed at the interior of the hohlraum, which absorbs and re-radiates the energy as X-rays, rather than on the capsule itself, a process known as indirect drive. The advantage to this approach is that the energy is re-radiated in a much more symmetric fashion than would be possible in the direct drive approach, resulting in a more uniform implosion.
The X-ray intensity around the capsule must be very symmetrical to avoid hydrodynamic instabilities during compression. Earlier designs had radiators at the ends of the hohlraum, but it proved difficult to maintain adequate X-ray symmetry with this geometry. By the end of the 1990s, target physicists developed a new family of designs in which the ion beams are absorbed in the hohlraum walls, so that X-rays are radiated from a large fraction of the solid angle surrounding the capsule. With a judicious choice of absorbing materials, this arrangement, referred to as a "distributed-radiator" target, gives better X-ray symmetry and target gain in simulations than earlier designs.
. The casing's purpose is to contain and focus the energy of the primary (fission) stage in order to implode the secondary (fusion) stage.
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
thermodynamics
Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics is a physical science that studies the effects on material bodies, and on radiation in regions of space, of transfer of heat and of work done on or by the bodies or radiation...
, a hohlraum (a non-specific German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
word for a "hollow area" or "cavity") is a cavity whose walls are in radiative equilibrium with the radiant energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
within the cavity. This idealized cavity can be approximated in practice by making a small perforation in the wall of a hollow container of any opaque
Opacity (optics)
Opacity is the measure of impenetrability to electromagnetic or other kinds of radiation, especially visible light. In radiative transfer, it describes the absorption and scattering of radiation in a medium, such as a plasma, dielectric, shielding material, glass, etc...
material. The radiation escaping through such a perforation will be a good approximation to blackbody radiation at the temperature of the interior of the container.
Inertial confinement fusion
Inertial confinement fusion
Inertial confinement fusion is a process where nuclear fusion reactions are initiated by heating and compressing a fuel target, typically in the form of a pellet that most often contains a mixture of deuterium and tritium....
is as follows; the fusion
Nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy...
fuel capsule is held inside a cylindrical hohlraum. The radiation source (e.g., laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
) is pointed at the interior of the hohlraum, which absorbs and re-radiates the energy as X-rays, rather than on the capsule itself, a process known as indirect drive. The advantage to this approach is that the energy is re-radiated in a much more symmetric fashion than would be possible in the direct drive approach, resulting in a more uniform implosion.
The X-ray intensity around the capsule must be very symmetrical to avoid hydrodynamic instabilities during compression. Earlier designs had radiators at the ends of the hohlraum, but it proved difficult to maintain adequate X-ray symmetry with this geometry. By the end of the 1990s, target physicists developed a new family of designs in which the ion beams are absorbed in the hohlraum walls, so that X-rays are radiated from a large fraction of the solid angle surrounding the capsule. With a judicious choice of absorbing materials, this arrangement, referred to as a "distributed-radiator" target, gives better X-ray symmetry and target gain in simulations than earlier designs.
Nuclear weapon design
The term hohlraum is also used to describe the casing of a thermonuclear bomb following the Teller-Ulam designTeller-Ulam design
The Teller–Ulam design is the nuclear weapon design concept used in most of the world's nuclear weapons. It is colloquially referred to as "the secret of the hydrogen bomb" because it employs hydrogen fusion, though in most applications the bulk of its destructive energy comes from uranium fission,...
. The casing's purpose is to contain and focus the energy of the primary (fission) stage in order to implode the secondary (fusion) stage.