Laser inertial fusion dry-wall materials response to pulsed ions at power-plant level fluences

Abstract Pulses of MeV-level ions with fluences of up to 20 J/cm2 can be expected to impinge on the first-wall of future laser-driven Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) power plants. To simulate the effect of these ions, we have exposed candidate dry-wall materials to ion pulses from RHEPP-1, located at Sandia National Laboratories. Various forms of tungsten and tungsten alloy were exposed to up to 1000 pulses, with some samples heated to 600 °C. Thresholds for roughening and material removal, and evolution of surface morphology were measured and compared with code predictions for materials response. Tungsten is observed to undergo surface roughening and subsurface crack formation that evolves over hundreds of pulses, and which can occur both below and above the melt threshold. Heating and Re-alloying mitigate, but do not eliminate, these apparently thermomechanically-caused effects. Use of a 3-D geometry, and/or use of the tungsten in thin-film form may offer improved survivability compared to bulk tungsten.