luorescence Imaging in Richtmyer-Meshkov Flows

In inertial confinement fusion (ICF) reactions, a pellet is filled with the fuel (Deuterium, Tritium gases or Deuterium-Tritium ice) and bombarded with an array of laser beams from all directions. The rapid heating of the pellet's outer shell vaporizes it instantly to convert it into plasma. The rapid blow-off the surface material then creates an inward moving shock-wave which compresses the center of the pellet to extremely high temperature and pressures where fusion reactions can be sustained.

In order to use such fusion devices for power generation, it is imperitive that the amount of energy extracted out of the system exceed the amount of energy input into the system. However, there are several (potentially surmountable) stumbling blocks that need to be overcome before fusion power plants become a reality. One of the more important ones is a hydrodynamic instability known as the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability.