Models of electron conductivity which lead to ablation stabilization of fluid instabilities in laser-driven implosions

LASNEX calculations with a modified electron conductivity show the existence of a firepolishing stabilization effect. By modifying the thermal conductivity so that K α T/sup n//rho/sup m/, one is able to construct a situation in which the electrons deposit their energy in a thin layer at the ablation surface and closely match the zero order solutions assumed earlier. The firepolishing effect appears to require that a significant fraction of the total pressure be due to the ablation process itself rather than the thermal pressure in the corona gas. It also requires KL approximately 1 where L is the scale height for decay of thermal perturbations generated at the ablation surface. For classical electron conductivity, because the thermal flux depends linearly on the grams/cm2 necessary to stop the electrons, (1/rho) nabla rho approximately (1/T) nabla T near the ablation surface so that the pressure is nearly constant across the ablation surface. Hence there is no ablation pressure as such and no firepolishing effect for electron-driven implosions