Fabrication of ICF reactor targets based on symmetrization of solid fuel

Tritium self-heats at a rate of .97 W/mole because of its β activity. This energy drives preferential sublimation of solid T2 or DT from regions where a layer is thicker and warmer to regions where the layer is thinner and colder. A frozen tritium layer inside an isothermal container approaches isotropy exponentially with a time constant as short at 14.4 minutes. Targets Isotropized by Radioactively Induced Sublimation (IRIS) and sized for an ICF reactor demonstrate high gain and offer real fabrication advantages. (author)