Implosion experiments with uniformity‐improved GEKKO XII: Overview

We report the results of the recent implosion experiments performed with the uniformity‐improved GEKKO XII laser. A high quality plastic shell filled with deuterium gas was irradiated with the power‐balanced, smooth‐profile laser beams of 526 nm wavelength. The laser pulse was square‐shaped with a controlled prepulse in order to reduce the instability growth. The observed neutron yield under these conditions correspond to the 1‐D simulation value well within the stagnation phase. These results suggest that the implosion stability is now better controlled in comparison to previous experiments.