Parabolic lithium mirror for a laser-driven hot plasma producing device [electronic resource].
- Published
- Washington, D.C. : United States. Energy Research and Development Administration, 1979.
Oak Ridge, Tenn. : Distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Dept. of Energy. - Additional Creators
- United States. Energy Research and Development Administration and United States. Department of Energy. Office of Scientific and Technical Information
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- Restrictions on Access
- Free-to-read Unrestricted online access
- Summary
- A hot plasma producing device is provided, wherein pellets, singly injected, of frozen fuel are each ignited with a plurality of pulsed laser beams. Ignition takes place within a void area in liquid lithium contained within a pressure vessel. The void in the liquid lithium is created by rotating the pressure vessel such that the free liquid surface of molten lithium therein forms a paraboloid of revolution. The paraboloid functions as a laser mirror with a reflectivity greater than 90%. A hot plasma is produced when each of the frozen deuterium-tritium pellets sequentially arrive at the paraboloid focus, at which time each pellet is illuminated by the plurality of pulsed lasers whose rays pass through circular annuli across the top of the paraboloid. The beams from the lasers are respectively directed by associated mirrors, or by means of a single conical mirror in another embodiment, and by the mirror-like paraboloid formed by the rotating liquid lithium onto the fuel pellet such that the optical flux reaching the pellet can be made to be uniform over 96% of the pellet surface area. The very hot plasma produced by the action of the lasers on the respective singly injected fuel pellets in turn produces a copious quantity of neutrons and X-rays such that the device has utility as a neutron source or as an x-ray source. In addition, the neutrons produced in the device may be utilized to produce tritium in a lithium blanket and is thus a mechanism for producing tritium.
- Report Numbers
- E 1.99:us 4158598
us 4158598 - Other Subject(s)
- Note
- Published through SciTech Connect.
06/19/1979.
"us 4158598"
"US patent application 05/695,661"
Baird, James K.
View MARC record | catkey: 14404736