The U.S. Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) program is pursuing three major approaches with a goal of achieving multi-mega-Joule fusion yields in the laboratory: laser indirect drive, laser direct drive, and magnetic direct drive (MDD), each with unique physics and engineering challenges. There are, however, many commonalities in the plasma conditions and dynamics that occur near peak compression, the need for new diagnostic capability, and the need to control laser plasma instabilities (LPI). Greater cross-fertilization of expertise and ideas across the national program combined with advancements in experimental methods and new technologies is leading to new insights into the physical processes of each approach. Parallel efforts are underway to understand the length and temperature scaling of hydro-equivalent implosions and laser energy coupling from OMEGA to NIF, while LPI mitigation and control experiments are being performed on NIF, OMEGA, and Nike, all linked via a common LPI modeling platform. In MDD, experiments at NIF, OMEGA, and Z have demonstrated effective gas heating for the laser preheating phase of the Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF). This talk re-views the status and future outlook of U.S. efforts in ICF through a comparison of the common challenges and key differences of the three major approaches and highlights of recent accomplishments and future plans.

The seminar will be web-simulcast. To view the simulcast, please follow this link: https://meetings.webex.com/collabs/#/meetings/detail?uuid=MEADESRT266X89IVPYZNAV8S1K-132H&rnd=617666.04045