Description
Predictive simulations of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) require accurate modeling of electron transport, particularly in regimes where temperature gradients become comparable to the electron mean free path. In these conditions, diffusive transport models commonly used in radiation-hydrodynamics codes fail to capture non-local effects. These inaccuracies compromise predictions of shock timing, laser-plasma coupling and the thermal smoothing of perturbations. We have recently developed the coupled K2-Gorgon code which allows tractable two-dimensional simulations of ICF relevant experiments with high-fidelity kinetic modeling of electron transport. K2 solves the Vlasov-Fokker-Planck (VFP) equation to evolve the electron distribution function, and provides a kinetic electron transport model for use in the multiphysics hydrodynamics code Gorgon.
We present results from 1D planar simulations of plastic target ablation using K2-Gorgon at direct-drive relevant laser intensities, benchmarking the VFP model against flux-limited diffusion and Schurtz-Nicolai-Busquets (SNB) transport models. These results demonstrate the inadequacy of the flux-limited model, revealing substantial differences in predicted coronal temperatures (> 200 eV). SNB more accurately captures observables, including shock velocity, coronal temperature and non-local preheat, with minor quantitative differences. We will discuss the extension of this work to 2D, including the role of self-generated magnetic fields and their influence on thermal transport (complementary to recent results in indirect drive hohlraums [1]). Finally, we examine the role of non-local transport in the smoothing of perturbations in the corona, a critical factor for the design of next-generation ICF facilities.
[1] M. Sherlock et al., APS-DPP Abstracts (APS, 2025)
This work was undertaken as part of UPLiFT (UK Programme of Laser Inertial Fusion Technology for Energy), and is funded by the UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. This work was also supported by the EPSRC and First Light Fusion under the AMPLIFI Prosperity Partnership - EP/X025373/1