Relativistic kinetic model for energy deposition of intense laser-driven electrons in fast ignition scenario

One of the most crucial steps for a fast ignition scenario is the energy deposition into the highly compressed deuterium-tritium core plasmas via intense laser-produced relativistic electrons. Based on fundamental principles, a kinetic model is developed by considering both binary collisions and the contribution due to collective process. The collision operator is exactly simplified by taking into account relativistic effects within the context of fast ignition. It is expressed in a differential form with the help of two analogous Rosenbluth potentials. The explicit formulation of a relativistic kinetic equation in three-dimensional momentum space is obtained by expanding the potential functions in terms of spherical harmonics, in which only simple differentiations and integrations are involved. Fast electron number is well conserved in this model. The range and penetration depth are also discussed. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3553452]Physics, Fluids & PlasmasSCI(E)EI4ARTICLE2null1