Present status and future prospects of laser fusion research at ILE, Osaka

Recent progress in inertial confinement fusion has initiated a new research programme aiming at the laboratory demonstration of thermonuclear ignition and burn. The Institute of Laser Engineering has started an intensive R and D project addressing a number of physics and technical issues related to ignition and burn. These issues are (1) to evaluate the required laser energy for ignition and burn as well as the tolerable level of irradiation non-uniformity and target imperfections; (2) to develop uniform irradiation technologies with the existing twelve beams of GEKKO XII and to provide a stringent test of the theoretical and computational modelling used in the former subproject; and (3) to design and develop a new laser facility necessary for ignition and burn. (author). 7 refs, 5 figs