The 9th International Conference on Matter and Radiation at Extremes (ICMRE2026) ( ICMRE2026)

29 / 2026-03-05 09:13:28

ICF target design for yield enhancement via elastic scattering

ICF ignition, elastic scattering, energy deposition, target pellet design

Laser and Particle Beam Fusion, Magnetic Driven Fusion > Laser Fusion Physics

Anomalies in the neutron spectral shift of high-yield shots have been observed in deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion experiment of high yield shot at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Recent research revealed that suprathermal ions included in non-Maxwellian velocity distributions of DT ions attribute to anomalies spectral shifts of deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion neutron. Tish is because α-knock-on neutron (AKN) spectra generated by fusion reactions involving suprathermal DT ions exhibit remarkable consistency with NIF experimental measurements. International studies preliminarily identify nuclear elastic scattering (NES) between fusion-born α-particles and DT ions as a key mechanism for suprathermal ion generation. Based on steady-state calculations of typical ICF hot-spot configurations, we reveals that fusion neutrons also transfer partial energy to DT fuel via NES – albeit at a reduced magnitude compared to α-particles. Therefore, investigating neutron energy transfer in hotspots of high-yield shots, analogous to alpha-energy deposition, represents a critically important research area. Adopting the computational architectures and physical principle of GEANT4 and CloG, we performed energy loss analysis of alpha particles and neutrons in diverse steady-state DT hot spot configurations, particularly systematic quantifying NES contributions to total energy loss. Proposes a design philosophy to enhance neutron energy retention within hot spots, with subsequent energy loss calculations for alpha particles and neutrons conducted for such configurations. Quantitative results provide critical data support for energy deposition mechanisms of alpha particles and neutrons in hot spots, offering theoretical references for optimizing ICF target design and boosting fusion yield.