Tripled yield in direct-drive laser fusion through statistical modelling

Accurate predictive models are essential to the design of high-performance, laser-fusion experiments. Here, we report the development of a promising statistical approach that has been used to quantitatively predict and design several cryogenic deuterium-tritium (DT) implosions on the OMEGA Laser System, leading to the tripling of the fusion yield to its highest value for direct-drive laser fusion of DT-layered targets. When scaled to National Ignition Facility laser energies of 1.9 MJ, these targets are predicted to produce a fusion energy output of ~500 kJ—several times larger than current fusion yields achieved at that facility. Future applications of this approach will guide the exploration of the vast parameter space for the conditions required for thermonuclear ignition and expose gaps in our understanding of laser-fusion physics.