Analysis of laser-fission-fusion systems: Development of methods for nuclear and thermohydrodynamic calculations

A set of computer programs is developed for the calculation of laser-driven fission-fusion microexplosions. Both nuclear and thermohydrodynamic processes are considered, as well as their coupling effects, without taking into account the laser interaction so far, but simulating it by a boundary pressure pulse that can be varied parametrically. Three different systems (BERTA, NORMA-CLARA, NORMA-LIBERTAS) have been developed upon different approaches. BERTA is an integrated code which takes into account both nuclear and hydrodynamic processes in a coupled but simplified way. NORMA calculates in detail the thermo-hydrodynamic evolution under given boundary pressure conditions and nuclear energy generation. CLARA is a discrete-ordinates time-dependent neutron transport code which works directly coupled with NORMA. LIBERTAS is a Monte Carlo time-dependent neutron transport code, also coupled to NORMA, which can be of interest for analysis of anomalous or stochastic situations. (orig.)