Inertial fusion target development

The next series of inertial fusion experiments will approach and then achieve the conditions for ignition. These planned experiments include those at the OMEGA Upgrade laser at the University of Rochester, and at the National Ignition Facility proposed to be built at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. To achieve sufficient density to approach ignition conditions with reasonable laser power, these experiments call for cryogenic targets. In this paper, we review the specifications for these ignition targets, describe the coordinated R and D program of the ICF Labs (Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos and University of Rochester) and General Atomics to develop this technology, and describe the next steps in target technology from ignition to fusion energy application.