Simulation of solid-plasma transition in direct drive ICF

The irradiation of plastic targets by a laser impulse similar to that used in direct-drive ICF (inertial confinement fusion) has shown that the initial state of the target has an impact on the subsequent compression of the target. In order to assess this impact a model of the solid-plasma transition at the microscopic scale has been developed. Preliminary results show that this transition takes 100 picoseconds which is non-negligible compared to characteristic times of ICF. The deuterium-tritium fuel may be affected by the influence of this initial state which is not taken into account in simulation codes so far and it may give an explanation of the overestimation of the efficiency of the direct-drive ICF. (A.C.)