Can laser-driven H-B fusion be a viable alternative with no neutron output?

[phyzguy]

I'm interested in comments on the attached paper. The authors are advocating laser drive proton-boron fusion as an attractive option, given the lack of neutron output. They describe a laser driven method for achieving ignition in a solid target. Any thoughts? Is this even remotely feasible?

 

[mfb]

10 PW is the peak power of the most powerful laser pulses achieved so far - for 24 fs. They want 30 PW over 1 ps, a factor 3 more power and a factor 40 longer, for a factor 120 in pulse energy (30 kJ instead of 240 J). You have to get 1 pulse per second to produce electricity worth $100 million per year - which means you probably want several times this rate or several lasers to make a power plant interesting.

The NIF produces 4 MJ pulses with a length of 20 ns distributed over something like 200 beams, or 20 kJ per beam - the right amount of pulse energy, although the pulses are a factor 20,000 too long. It can fire a few shots per day, after each shot the amplifiers have to cool down for hours.

I don't say it is impossible, but even if all the predictions are accurate: Testing these predictions would need a one-of-a-kind machine, and the price of a power plant is completely unclear.

 

[Dennis Jasbey]

Is this even remotely feasible?

The answer is NO.

 

[Ogg Yggdryzzle]

10 PW is the peak power of the most powerful laser pulses achieved so far - for 24 fs. They want 30 PW over 1 ps, a factor 3 more power and a factor 40 longer, for a factor 120 in pulse energy (30 kJ instead of 240 J). You have to get 1 pulse per second to produce electricity worth $100 million per year - which means you probably want several times this rate or several lasers to make a power plant interesting.

The NIF produces 4 MJ pulses with a length of 20 ns distributed over something like 200 beams, or 20 kJ per beam - the right amount of pulse energy, although the pulses are a factor 20,000 too long. It can fire a few shots per day, after each shot the amplifiers have to cool down for hours.

I don't say it is impossible, but even if all the predictions are accurate: Testing these predictions would need a one-of-a-kind machine, and the price of a power plant is completely unclear.

They have a credibility problem since nobody has ever built a laser with the ultrahigh degree of contrast necessary for igniting fusion according to hora's report.