The international workshop on the fast ignition of fusion targets has played an important role in the rapid progress in the physics of fast ignition inertial fusion worldwide. It has provided a vital forum for discussion on important topics in high intensity laser-plasma physics that are relevant to fast ignition and has allowed new experimental and theoretical results to be presented in an informal and collegiate atmosphere. With the new laser facilities in the United States and Japan nearing completion—and the start of the HIPER project in the European Union—this workshop provided an opportunity for sharing ideas, forming new collaborations and maintaining the rapid progress in the field.The International Committee for Fast Ignition, at its meeting in September 2007 (Kobe, Japan), agreed to hold the Workshop every two years, alternating between Inerital Fusion Science and Applications (IFSA) conferences. It would rotate geographically between the EU, Asia and the United States. The 10th Workshop was held as a satellite meeting to the 35th EPS Conference on Plasma Physics in the Creta Maris Conference Center on the beautiful island of Crete. The first two days were devoted to the presentation of the latest results. The invited papers that were presented there appeared in the December 2008 issue of Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. The remaining days, 16th–18th June, were held as a smaller stand-alone meeting and were devoted to more informal discussion and debates, more conducive to the Workshop style. The Programme Committee of the EPS selected a number of papers from abstracts submitted to the Workshop that reflected this style. These papers, presented here, have been through the normal rigorous peer review process of the journal and are indicative of the exceptional quality of work presented at the meeting.
Summary of inertial fusion sessions