Simulation of afterglow plasma evolution in an inertial fusion energy chamber

The temporal evolution of plasma and gas parameters during the afterglow phase of cyclic operation of an inertial fusion-energy reactor chamber is simulated with a zero-dimensional code. The results of self-consistent modeling of plasma/gas cooling, plasma recombination, and the heat power load on a cryogenic fusion-fuel target are presented. The role of intrinsic impurity radiation and the edge plasma region in plasma cooling is analyzed. The impacts of large convective cells and large concentrations of a heavy-ion buffer gas inside the chamber on plasma evolution and target heat loads are discussed.