Comparisons of line emission from 2- and 3-dimensionsal simulations of ICF capsules to experiments

Hydrodynamic instabilities and drive asymmetries can reduce the yield in an inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosion. Line emission from trace elements placed in the capsule can be used to diagnose the extent of the departures from an ideal spherical implosion. This paper presents the results of a large number of 2D simulations and a few 3D simulations of line emission from argon in the DH fuel and titanium placed in the inner layers of the plastic shell of a Nova ICF capsule. In the simulations, the interface between the fuel and the shell becomes highly distorted. The simulations are compared to Nova experimental data on the thermonuclear yield, the ratio of argon Ly-β to titanium He-α, the relative strength of titanium He-α and its satellite lines, and the strength of the continuum near titanium He-α. The agreement is good enough to confirm that the simulations correctly model the basic character of the implosion