Observation of a Reflected Shock in an Indirectly Driven Spherical Implosion at the National Ignition Facility

Abstract

A 200 μm radius hot spot at more than 2 keV temperature, 1 g/cm[superscript 3] density has been achieved on the National Ignition Facility using a near vacuum hohlraum. The implosion exhibits ideal one-dimensional behavior and 99% laser-to-hohlraum coupling. The low opacity of the remaining shell at bang time allows for a measurement of the x-ray emission of the reflected central shock in a deuterium plasma. Comparison with 1D hydrodynamic simulations puts constraints on electron-ion collisions and heat conduction. Results are consistent with classical (Spitzer-Harm) heat flux.