Fast isochoric heating of a pre-compressed plasma core with a high-intensity short-pulse laser is an attractive and alternative approach to create ultra-high-energy-density states like those found in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) ignition sparks. Laser-produced relativistic electron beam (REB) deposits a part of kinetic energy in the core, and then the heated region becomes the hot spark to trigger the ignition. However, due to the inherent large angular spread of the produced REB, only a small portion of the REB collides with the core. Here, we demonstrate a factor-of-two enhancement of laser-to-core energy coupling with the magnetized fast isochoric heating. The method employs a magnetic field of hundreds of Tesla that is applied to the transport region from the REB generation zone to the core which results in guiding the REB along the magnetic field lines to the core. This scheme may provide more efficient energy coupling compared to the conventional ICF scheme.

We synthesized a new series of layered copper oxytellurides Sr2TMCu2Te2O2 with variation in transition metal (TM = Mn, Co, and Zn) elements.

A new type of "persistent-mode" magnet, assembled from YBCO annuli, appears promising for "microcoil" NMR, in which compactness and simple manufacturability are vital. To develop an annular magnet for micro NMR, a YBCO-annulus Helmholtz coil was studied. The paper describes the new magnet concept and results of our study on the Helmholtz coil.