Advances in NLTE Modeling for Integrated Simulations
08 Jul 2009-Vol. 6
TL;DR: In this paper, a simple screened-hydrogenic model was proposed to calculate ionization balance with surprising accuracy, at a low enough computational cost for routine use in radiation-hydrodynamics codes.
Abstract: The last few years have seen significant progress in constructing the atomic models required for non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) simulations. Along with this has come an increased understanding of the requirements for accurately modeling the ionization balance, energy content and radiative properties of different elements for a wide range of densities and temperatures. Much of this progress is the result of a series of workshops dedicated to comparing the results from different codes and computational approaches applied to a series of test problems. The results of these workshops emphasized the importance of atomic model completeness, especially in doubly excited states and autoionization transitions, to calculating ionization balance, and the importance of accurate, detailed atomic data to producing reliable spectra. We describe a simple screened-hydrogenic model that calculates NLTE ionization balance with surprising accuracy, at a low enough computational cost for routine use in radiation-hydrodynamics codes. The model incorporates term splitting, {Delta}n = 0 transitions, and approximate UTA widths for spectral calculations, with results comparable to those of much more detailed codes. Simulations done with this model have been increasingly successful at matching experimental data for laser-driven systems and hohlraums. Accurate and efficient atomic models are just one requirement for integrated NLTE simulations. Coupling the atomic kinetics to hydrodynamics and radiation transport constrains both discretizations and algorithms to retain energy conservation, accuracy and stability. In particular, the strong coupling between radiation and populations can require either very short timesteps or significantly modified radiation transport algorithms to account for NLTE material response. Considerations such as these continue to provide challenges for NLTE simulations.
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TL;DR: The National Ignition Campaign (NIC) as mentioned in this paper was a multi-institution effort established under the National Nuclear Security Administration of DOE in 2005, prior to the completion of the NIF in 2009.
Abstract: The National Ignition Campaign (NIC) was a multi-institution effort established under the National Nuclear Security Administration of DOE in 2005, prior to the completion of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in 2009. The scope of the NIC was the planning and preparation for and the execution of the first 3 yr of ignition experiments (through the end of September 2012) as well as the development, fielding, qualification, and integration of the wide range of capabilities required for ignition. Besides the operation and optimization of the use of NIF, these capabilities included over 50 optical, x-ray, and nuclear diagnostic systems, target fabrication facilities, experimental platforms, and a wide range of NIF facility infrastructure. The goal of ignition experiments on the NIF is to achieve, for the first time, ignition and thermonuclear burn in the laboratory via inertial confinement fusion and to develop a platform for ignition and high energy density applications on the NIF. The goal of the NIC was to develop and integrate all of the capabilities required for a precision ignition campaign and, if possible, to demonstrate ignition and gain by the end of FY12. The goal of achieving ignition can be divided into three main challenges. The first challenge is defining specifications for the target, laser, and diagnostics with the understanding that not all ignition physics is fully understood and not all material properties are known. The second challenge is designing experiments to systematically remove these uncertainties. The third challenge is translating these experimental results into metrics designed to determine how well the experimental implosions have performed relative to expectations and requirements and to advance those metrics toward the conditions required for ignition. This paper summarizes the approach taken to address these challenges, along with the progress achieved to date and the challenges that remain. At project completion in 2009, NIF lacked almost all the diagnostics and infrastructure required for ignition experiments. About half of the 3 yr period covered in this review was taken up by the effort required to install and performance qualify the equipment and experimental platforms needed for ignition experiments. Ignition on the NIF is a grand challenge undertaking and the results presented here represent a snapshot in time on the path toward that goal. The path forward presented at the end of this review summarizes plans for the Ignition Campaign on the NIF, which were adopted at the end of 2012, as well as some of the key results obtained since the end of the NIC.
509 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a low-Z capsule filled with deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel via laser indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion and demonstrate fusion ignition and propagating thermonuclear burn with a net energy gain of ∼5-10 (fusion yield/input laser energy).
Abstract: The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory includes a precision laser system now capable of delivering 1.8 MJ at 500 TW of 0.35-μm light to a target. NIF has been operational since March 2009. A variety of experiments have been completed in support of NIF's mission areas: national security, fundamental science, and inertial fusion energy. NIF capabilities and infrastructure are in place to support its missions with nearly 60 X-ray, optical, and nuclear diagnostic systems. A primary goal of the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) on the NIF was to implode a low-Z capsule filled with ∼0.2 mg of deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel via laser indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion and demonstrate fusion ignition and propagating thermonuclear burn with a net energy gain of ∼5–10 (fusion yield/input laser energy). This requires assembling the DT fuel into a dense shell of ∼1000 g/cm3 with an areal density (ρR) of ∼1.5 g/cm2, surrounding a lower density hot spot with a temperature of ∼10 keV and a ρR ∼0.3 g/cm2, or approximately an α-particle range. Achieving these conditions demand precise control of laser and target parameters to allow a low adiabat, high convergence implosion with low ablator fuel mix. We have demonstrated implosion and compressed fuel conditions at ∼80–90% for most point design values independently, but not at the same time. The nuclear yield is a factor of ∼3–10× below the simulated values and a similar factor below the alpha dominated regime. This paper will discuss the experimental trends, the possible causes of the degraded performance (the off-set from the simulations), and the plan to understand and resolve the underlying physics issues.
271 citations
10 Jan 2011
TL;DR: The High Flux Model (HFM) was used in the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) gas-filled/capsule-imploding hohlraum energetics campaign as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Abstract In 2009 the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) gas-filled/capsule-imploding hohlraum energetics campaign showed good laser-hohlraum coupling, reasonably high drive, and implosion symmetry control via cross-beam transfer. There were, however, discrepancies with expectations from the standard simulation model including: the level and spectrum of the Stimulated Raman light; the tendency towards pancake-shaped implosions; and drive that exceeded predictions early in the campaign, and lagged those predictions late in the campaign. We review here the origins/development path of the “high flux model” (HFM). The HFM contains two principal changes from the standard model: 1) It uses a detailed configuration accounting (DCA) atomic physics non-local-thermodynamic-equilibrium (NLTE) model, and 2) It uses a generous electron thermal flux limiter, f = 0.15, that is consistent with a non-local electron transport model. Both elements make important contributions to the HFM’s prediction of a hohlraum plasma that is cooler than that predicted by the standard model, which uses an NLTE average atom approach, and a value of f = 0.05 for the flux limiter. This cooler plasma is key in eliminating most of the discrepancies between the NIC data and revised expectations based on this new simulation model. The HFM had previously been successfully deployed in correctly modeling Omega Laser illuminated gold sphere x-ray emission data, and NIC empty hohlraum drive. However, when the HFM was first applied to this energetics campaign, the model lacked some credibility/acceptance compared to the standard model, because it actually worsened the discrepancy between the observed hohlraum drive for the 1 MJ class experiments performed late in the campaign and the revised expectation of higher drive based on the HFM. Essentially, the HFM was making a prediction that the laser-hohlraum coupling was less than that assumed at that time. Its credibility was then boosted when a re-evaluation of the laser light losses from the hohlraum due to laser plasma interactions matched its prediction.
127 citations
TL;DR: Lindl et al. as mentioned in this paper measured the strength and relative timing of deuterium-tritium (DT) implosions on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in a specially designed target platform known as the keyhole target.
Abstract: Capsule implosions on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [Lindl et al., Phys. Plasmas 11, 339 (2004)] are underway with the goal of compressing deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel to a sufficiently high areal density (ρR) to sustain a self-propagating burn wave required for fusion power gain greater than unity. These implosions are driven with a carefully tailored sequence of four shock waves that must be timed to very high precision in order to keep the DT fuel on a low adiabat. Initial experiments to measure the strength and relative timing of these shocks have been conducted on NIF in a specially designed surrogate target platform known as the keyhole target. This target geometry and the associated diagnostics are described in detail. The initial data are presented and compared with numerical simulations. As the primary goal of these experiments is to assess and minimize the adiabat in related DT implosions, a methodology is described for quantifying the adiabat from the shock velocity measurements. Results are contrasted between early experiments that exhibited very poor shock timing and subsequent experiments where a modified target geometry demonstrated significant improvement.
107 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this article, an approximate formula is proposed to compute the cross-section for excitation by electron impact for the op, where the crosssection is defined as the number of electron impacts.
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TL;DR: For 47 elements in the range 2 ≤ Z ≤ 92, steady-state radiative cooling rates, average charge states, and mean square charge states have been calculated for low-density, high-temperature plasmas (n e ≲ 10 16 electrons/cm 3 and T = 0.002-100 keV) as discussed by the authors.
743 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, electron-impact ionization cross-sections for single ionization from the ground state are given for free atoms and for all ionization stages from hydrogen to calcium (Z=20).
Abstract: Using the empirical formula recently proposed, electron-impact ionization cross-sections for single ionization from the ground state are given for free atoms and for all ionization stages from hydrogen to calcium (Z=20). Ionization rate coefficients are given for these species on the assumption of a Maxwellian distribution of the impacting electrons. Multiple ionization, lowering of ionization potential, or collision limit are not taken into account.
712 citations
Book•
18 Jul 1995
TL;DR: In this article, the theory of atomic collisions between heavy particles is used to estimate cross sections of Spectral Lines, and a formula for the estimation of effective cross sections is given.
Abstract: 1 Elementary Processes Giving Rise to Spectra.- 2 Theory of Atomic Collisions.- 3 Approximate Methods for Calculating Cross Sections.- 4 Collisions Between Heavy Particles.- 5 Some Problems of Excitation Kinetics.- 6 Tables and Formulas for the Estimation of Effective Cross Sections.- 7 Broadening of Spectral Lines.- References.- List of Symbols.
691 citations