Experimental Investigation of the Effect of M-Band Preheating in Indirectly-Driven Double-Shell Implosions

Experimental results are presented from several series of experiments studying the effect of 2-4 keV M-shell radiation on the implosion of double-shell capsules on the Omega Laser at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. In the first series of experiments, precision machined double-shell capsules implosions are performed. A discrepancy is observed between the experimentally measured M-band fraction and the simulated value. The application of a time-dependent multiplier to the simulated M-band level results in a decrease in predicted yield of 35% and a corresponding increase in the YoC to 20-35%. In order to further investigate this discrepancy, a series of ''M-Band driven'' targets has been designed. An oversized outer shell is used to preferentially allow the M-band radiation to drive the implosion of a CH-tamped glass inner shell. The inner shell radius-time history is measured and is shown to be consistent with the simulations using the time-dependent M-band multipliers. The spatial distribution of this M-band source is also varied using hohlraums of different length and adjusting the laser pointing accordingly. The resulting asymmetry of the inner shell implosion is diagnosed both by x-ray backlighting prior to shell collision and by core emission