Cryogenic D-T fuel layers formed in 1 mm spheres by beta-layering

Solid D-T fuel smoothly layered on the interior of spherical capsules is required for all inertial confinement fusion ignition target designs. One process for forming these layers, beta-layering, has been studied in surrogate geometries such as open cylinders or tori to allow accurate characterization of the DT surfaces. The authors present the first results from beta layering in 1 mm spherical containers, such as will be used in upcoming Omega experiments. These results are also directly relevant to ignition capsules for the National Ignition Facility. They find that layers can form with roughness as small as 1.2 microns rms, and that results are strongly dependent upon freezing rate as well as layer thickness