Electron beam research at Sandia Laboratories, USA

Investigations are conducted concerning the feasibility of using intense electron beams to achieve inertial confinement fusion. The program includes the development of electron accelerators of increasingly higher power. Major technical questions currently under study are related to the delivery of intense beams to targets of a few mm diameter, problems concerning an efficient energy absorption, the symmetry of ablation, and the stability of spherically imploding shells. The outline of a theoretical program is discussed, taking into account aspects of diode physics, the characteristics of fluid models, hydrodynamic code modeling of target response, and target design questions. A description of an experimental program involving the use of three types of electron accelerators is also provided.