Recent advances in ignition target physics at CEA

The objective of the Ignition Physics Program at CEA is to burn DT capsules on the Laser MegaJoule (LMJ) at the beginning of the next decade. Recent progress on Laser Plasma Interaction, hohlraum energetics, symmetry, ablator physics and hydrodynamic instabilities allow to remove most of these latter, to precise laser and target specifications and to elaborate a strategy toward ignition. These studies include theoretical work, numerical simulations, diagnostics developments and experiments partly done in collaboration with the US DOE. Construction of facilities is ongoing : LMJ beam prototype is planed to fire 7 kJ at the center of the target chamber at 0.35 mm at the end of 2002 and the LMJ (a 240 beams 1.8 MJ laser ) is planned to be ready for experiments at the end of 2009.