Asymmetrically driven implosionsa)

Techniques to achieve uniform near-spherical symmetry of radiation drive on a capsule in a laser-heated hohlraum have received detailed attention in the context of inertial confinement fusion. However, much less attention has been paid to the understanding of the hohlraum physics in cases where the radiation drive departs significantly from spherical symmetry. A series of experiments has been carried out to study the implosion dynamics of a …