Consequences of intensity constraints on inertial confinement fusion

It is shown that the conflicting requirements of high implosion efficiency (low corona temperature) and adequate energy transport (high corona temperature) can, together with other effects, limit useful infrared light intensities to values on the order of 100 Tw/cm2. Increased interest in ultraviolet lasers, for which this intensity constraint is expected to be less severe, and the entry of charged-particle drivers in the inertial confinement fusion (ICF) competition are consequences of this limitation. Analytical results based on a simple model are presented which show how the gain of an ICF target is modified by the existence of an arbitrary intensity constraint