European Fusion Target Work

Target concepts developed in the context of the HIDIF project (Heavy Ion Driven Inertial Fusion) are presented. Target design has evolved, from the beginning of the study in 1993, in parallel with the evolution of accelerator parameters. Two different phases can be distinguished: (a) up to 1998 the goal was just demonstration of ignition with heavy ions, (b) from 1998 target and driver are being upgraded to high-gain designs able to be used for energy production. Analytical models and numerical tools developed in this context are summarized, and future research directions are discussed