Laser fusion device and nuclear fusion generating method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9805829-B2
Application number	US-201314434893-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2013
Priority date	Oct 16, 2012
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A target shell monitoring device 4 that monitors an attitude and a position of the target shell Tg 1 , a compression laser output device 5 a that irradiates the target shell Tg 1 with a compression laser light LS 1 , and a heating laser output device 6 that irradiates the target shell Tg 1 with a heating laser light LS 3 following the compression laser light LS 1 are provided. The target shell Tg 1 has a hollow spherical shell shape, includes an approximately spherical space Sp on an inner side thereof, includes at least one through hole H 1 connecting an outer side thereof and the space Sp, and includes, on an outer surface Sf 1 thereof, irradiation areas Ar 1 and Ar 2 to be irradiated with compression laser lights.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser fusion device comprising:
a target shell that generates a nuclear fusion reaction;
a chamber in which the target shell generates the nuclear fusion reaction;
a target shell supply device that supplies the target shell to a reference point on an inner side of the chamber;
a target shell monitoring device that monitors a state of the target shell supplied to the chamber by the target shell supply device;
a compression laser output device that outputs a compression laser light for compressing the target shell to the target shell;
a heating laser output device that outputs a heating laser light for heating the target shell to the target shell; and
a control device that controls the target shell supply device, the compression laser output device, and the heating laser output device, wherein
the target shell has a hollow spherical shell shape, includes, on an inner side of the target shell, a spherical space demarcated by an inner surface of the target shell, includes at least one through hole connecting an outer side of the target shell and the space on the inner side of the target shell, and includes, on an outer surface of the target shell, an irradiation area to be irradiated with a compression laser light, and
the compression laser output device includes
a compression laser that outputs the compression laser light for compressing the target shell; and
a condensing optical device for compression, that condenses the compression laser light, which is output from the compression laser, toward the irradiation area of the target shell, and

the heating laser output device includes
a heating laser that outputs a heating laser light for heating the target shell; and
a condensing optical device for heating, that condenses a heating laser light, which is output from the heating laser, toward the through hole of the target shell, and

the control device includes
a target shell supply unit that controls the target shell supply device so as to supply the target shell to the chamber,
a timing calculation unit that calculates an arrival timing, at which the target shell supplied by the target shell supply unit arrives at the reference point, based on a monitoring result by the target shell monitoring device, and calculate, based on the arrival timing, a compression laser light output timing at which the compression laser outputs the compression laser light and a heating laser light output timing at which the heating laser outputs the heating laser light following the compression laser light output timing,
a light condensing unit that controls the condensing optical device for compression based on the monitoring result by the target shell monitoring device so as to condense the compression laser light, which is output from the compression laser, toward the irradiation area of the target shell at the compression laser light output timing calculated by the timing calculation unit, and control the condensing optical device for heating based on the monitoring result by the target shell monitoring device so as to condense the heating laser light, which is output from the heating laser at the heating laser light output timing calculated by the timing calculation unit, toward the through hole of the target shell; and
an output unit that controls the compression laser so as to output a compression laser light at the compression laser light output timing calculated by the timing calculation unit, and control the heating laser so as to output a heating laser light at the heating laser light output timing calculated by the timing calculation unit, after the condensing optical device for compression and the condensing optical device for heating are controlled by the light condensing unit.

2. The laser fusion device according to claim 1 , wherein the target shell includes the two through holes, and the two through holes extend along a central axis passing through a center of the target shell and opposes each other across the center.

3. The laser fusion device according to claim 1 , wherein the target shell is a polymer including deuterium or tritium.

4. A nuclear fusion generating method comprising:
a supply process that supplies a target shell, which generates a nuclear fusion reaction, to a chamber;
a preparation process that prepares for, after the supply process, irradiation with a compression laser light for compressing the target shell and a heating laser light for heating the target shell after compression; and
an irradiation process that irradiates the target shell with the compression laser light and the heating laser light in sequence after the preparation process, wherein
the target shell has a hollow spherical shell shape, includes, on an inner side of the target shell, a spherical space demarcated by an inner surface of the target shell, includes at least one through hole connecting an outer side of the target shell and the space on the inner side of the target shell, and includes, on an outer surface of the target shell, an irradiation area to be irradiated with a compression laser light, and
the preparation process includes
a calculation process that calculates the compression laser light output timing at which a compression laser light is output and the heating laser light output timing at which a heating laser light is output based on a monitoring result while monitoring a state of the target shell supplied to the chamber in the supply process; and
a light condensing process that condenses, based on the monitoring result, the compression laser light toward the irradiation area of the target shell at the compression laser light output timing and the heating laser light toward the through hole of the target shell at the heating laser light output timing, and

in the irradiation process, the compression laser light is irradiated to the irradiation area of the target shell at the compression laser light output timing, and the heating laser light is irradiated to the through hole of the target shell at the heating laser light output timing following the irradiation with the compression laser light.

5. The nuclear fusion generating method according to claim 4 , wherein the target shell includes the two through holes, and the two through holes extend along a central axis passing through a center of the target shell and opposes each other across the center.

6. The nuclear fusion generating method according to claim 4 , wherein the target shell is a polymer including deuterium or tritium.

Assignees

• Hamamatsu Photonics Kk
• The Graduate School For The Creation Of New Photonics Ind
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sekine Takashi
• Kurita Takashi
• Kawashima Toshiyuki
• Satoh Nakahiro
• Kan Hirofumi
• Kitagawa Yoneyoshi
• Mori Yoshitaka
• Ishii Katsuhiro
• Fujita Kazuhisa
• Hanayama Ryohei
• Okihara Shinichiro
• Sunahara Atsushi
• Komeda Osamu
• Nakamura Naoki
• Nishimura Yasuhiko
• Azuma Hirozumi

Classifications

• G21B1/15

  Particle injectors for producing thermonuclear fusion reactions, e.g. pellet injectors · CPC title

• G21B1/03 Primary

  with inertial plasma confinement · CPC title

• G21B1/23

  Optical systems, e.g. for irradiating targets, for heating plasma or for plasma diagnostics · CPC title

• G21B1/19

  Targets for producing thermonuclear fusion reactions, e.g. pellets for irradiation by laser or charged particle beams · CPC title

• Y02E30/14

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic