The Magnetically Driven Direct Drive Approach to Ignition: Responses to Questions by Panel 1 of the FY15 ICF Program Review.

The long-term goal of the pulsed-­power based, magnetically driven target approach is to achieve high single­shot yields (0.5-­1 GJ per shot). This goal may take decades to achieve, but if successful we believe it would be a key capability for the Stockpile Stewardship program, as noted as far back as 1988 in the Laboratory Microfusion Capability Phase 1 (U) study. If this approach is successful, it may be possible to achieve these yields from targets absorbing up to 10 MJ in a laboratory pulsed power facility with a stored energy of roughly 130 MJ. Such a facility would be substantially cheaper, and not as complex, than the corresponding pulsed power facility required for producing comparable yields from x-ray driven capsule targets.