Volume ignition of inertial confinement fusion of deuterium-helium(3) and hydrogen-boron(ll) clean fusion fuel

Abstract

Since DT laser fusion with 10-MJ laser pulses for 1000-MJ output now offers the physics solution for an economical fusion energy reactor, the conditions are evaluated assuming that controlled ICF reactions will become possible in the future using clean nuclear fusion fuel such as deuterium-helium(3) or hydrogen-boron(11). Using the transparent physics mechanisms of volume ignition of the fuel capsules, we show that the volume ignition for strong reduction of the optimum initial temperature can be reached for both types of fuels if a compression about 100 times higher than those in present-day laser compression experiments is attained in the future. Helium(3) laser-pulse energies are then in the same range as for DT, but ten times higher energies will be required for hydrogenboron(11).