On the Fabrication of a Uniform Thick Fuel Layer Inside a Cryogenic Inertial Confinement Fusion Target^a

Key physics issues essential to the fabrication of a uniform fuel layer inside a cryogenic spherical-shell inertial confinement fusion (ICF) target are addressed. Existing methods for fabricating cryogenic ICF targets are briefly reviewed and their anticipated difficulties in producing a thick uniform fuel layer are pointed out. New methods designed to circumvent the drawbacks of the existing techniques are proposed. Experimental devices intended to implement the new methods are described.