The role of the National Ignition Facility in energy production from inertial fusion

The 1993 declassication of virtually all inertial connement fusion (ICF) target information relevant to fusion energy development, and demonstrable successes in the physics and technology related to ICF, have laid the ground work for a devel-opment plan for an Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) programme. The ICF programme, funded by the Defense Program in the USA, has clearly demonstrated there is suf-cient condence in ignition and gain to proceed with construction of the National Ignition Facility, which will test the detailed physics of targets suitable for IFE. In September 1998, the facility was about 40 % complete and on schedule and within budget for completion in 2003. X-ray-drive ignition is planned for 2007, followed by direct-drive ignition experiments. The other major elements of an IFE development programme, namely, driver, target factory, and target chamber developments can be investigated separately in aordable programmes. Although much work remains, there are concepts for adequately high driver eciency and target gain, target cost and target chamber survivability to make an exploratory programme in IFE attrac-tive