The nuclear fusion cross-section is modified when the spins of the interacting nuclei are polarized. In the case of deuterium–tritium it has been theoretically predicted that the nuclear fusion cross-section could be increased by a factor δ = 1.5 if all the nuclei were polarized. In inertial confinement fusion this would result in a modification of the required ignition conditions. Using numerical simulations it is found that the required hot-spot temperature and areal density can both be reduced by about 15% for a fully polarized nuclear fuel. Moreover, numerical simulations of a directly driven capsule show that the required laser power and energy to achieve a high gain scale as δ−0.6 and δ−0.4 respectively, while the maximum achievable energy gain scales as δ0.9.
Inertial confinement