ASSOCIATION LASERS ET PLASMAS LMJ – PETAL Scientific Case For academic access program September 2014 – Version 1.0 CONTENTS LMJ-PETAL SCIENTIFIC CASE........................................................................................................... 5 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 5 MATERIALS AND HIGH ENERGY DENSITY PHYSICS .......................................................................... 7 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 7 1. Planetary Interiors inside and outside our solar system ................................................................. 8 1.1 Erosion of the heavy elements cores of giant planets and icy giants ....................................... 9 1.2 Modeling of icy giants, of cores of gas giant planets, and of “super-Earths” ......................... 10 1.3 Metallization of hydrogen at high pressure ............................................................................ 11 1.4 Phase separation of the hydrogen-helium mixture ................................................................ 12 2. Physical – Chemistry of materials at ultra-high pressure .............................................................. 13 2.1 Status and opportunities ......................................................................................................... 13 2.2 How to progress ...................................................................................................................... 14 2.3 The place of the LMJ-PETAL facility ......................................................................................... 15 3. Pathways to reach extreme states ................................................................................................ 15 4. Diagnostics ..................................................................................................................................... 18 4.1 Introduction and state-to-the-art ............................................................................................ 18 4.2 Challenges and opportunities with LMJ-PETAL ....................................................................... 19 4.3 Practical issues ......................................................................................................................... 20 5. Simulations .................................................................................................................................... 21 5.1 Brief Status .............................................................................................................................. 21 5.2 The open questions, challenges and impact ........................................................................... 21 5.3 Research directions and opportunities with LMJ-PETAL ......................................................... 22 Practical conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 23 Sigles .................................................................................................................................................. 25 References ......................................................................................................................................... 26 LABORATORY ASTROPHYSICS ON LMJ-PETAL ............................................................................... 29 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 29 1. Atomic and Nuclear Physics........................................................................................................... 30 1.1 The state of the art .................................................................................................................. 30 1.2 The LMJ-PETAL programme ..................................................................................................... 32 1.3 Short term Experiments .......................................................................................................... 34 1.4 Longer terms ............................................................................................................................ 36 2. Radiation Magneto Hydrodynamics .............................................................................................. 37 2.1 The big challenges ................................................................................................................... 37 2.2 The state of the art .................................................................................................................. 38 2.3 The long-term program ........................................................................................................... 41 2.4 Science on a shorter time-line ................................................................................................. 43 2.5 The needed steps to go ........................................................................................................... 43 3. High Energy Astrophysics and Interstellar Medium ...................................................................... 44 3.1 Short-term goals ...................................................................................................................... 44 3.2 Mid-term (5-10 years) goals .................................................................................................... 47 3.2 Long-term goals (>10 years) .................................................................................................... 48 4. Diagnostics for laboratory Astrophysics ........................................................................................ 50 Page 2 LMJ-PETAL Scientfic Case 4.1 Petal diagnostics ...................................................................................................................... 50 4.2 LMJ diagnostics ....................................................................................................................... 50 4.3 Magnetic field diagnostics ....................................................................................................... 50 5. Recommendations ........................................................................................................................ 51 References ......................................................................................................................................... 53 DEMONSTRATING DIRECT DRIVE INERTIAL FUSION USING THE LMJ-PETAL LASER SYSTEM ............ 55 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 55 1. Review of the experimental studies of alternative ICF schemes .................................................. 56 1.1 Shock ignition experiments ..................................................................................................... 57 1.2 Experiments related to the fast ignition scheme .................................................................... 62 2. Theoretical and numerical developments: the actual status and the developments required to achieve the objectives ....................................................................................................................... 65 2.1 Challenges of the ICF research ................................................................................................ 65 2.2 State of the art ........................................................................................................................ 66 2.3 Long-term programme in computational ICF.......................................................................... 67 2.4 Near term scientific program .................................................................................................. 68 3. Experimental goals ........................................................................................................................ 71 3.1 Shock ignition as the basis of consolidation of ICF research in Europe .................................. 71 3.2 Parameter domain for the experimental research ................................................................. 71 3.3 Physical issues of the shock ignition scheme .......................................................................... 71 3.4 Target development and manufacturing ................................................................................ 75 3.5 Target geometry ...................................................................................................................... 75 3.6 Diagnostics .............................................................................................................................. 76 4. Preparatory plans for LMJ-PETAL: work at intermediate scale facilities and numerical modelling development ..................................................................................................................................... 78 4.1 General purposes of the LMJ-PETAL academic IFE program .................................................. 78 4.2 Preparatory shock-ignition studies at small and intermediate scale facilities ........................ 79 4.3 Preparatory fast-ignition studies at small and intermediate scale facilities