Implosion (inertial fusion)

The inward collapse of an inertial fusion capsule. The laser light or X-rays blast material off the capsule's outer surface, and, like a rocket exhaust, this drives the rest of the shell inward at hundreds of kilometres per second. The fuel is compressed to far higher density than any solid, and a small region at the centre, the hot spot, is heated enough to start fusing. The implosion must be almost perfectly even: one that goes lopsided loses much of its compression, and with it most of its yield.

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concept:implosion

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