Model of ablative acceleration at moderate laser intensities

An analytic model of pellets accelerated by ablation produced by lasers of moderate intensity (approx.108 to > or approx. =1012 W/cm2) is presented. The solutions for partially ionized ablation of hydrogen support earlier estimates indicating that the pellet fueling requirements of a demonstration fusion reactor can probably be met practicably by existing laser technology. The method of solution can be applied to ablative acceleration by partially ionizing irradiation of targets of other materials as well