LASER DRIVEN COMPRESSION AND NEUTRON GENERATION WITH SPHERICAL SHELL TARGETS P. M. Campbell, P. Hammerling, R. R . Johnson J. J. Kubis, F. J. Mayer and D. C. Slater KMS Fusion, Inc. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 United States of America ABSTRACT Laser-driven implosion experiments using DT-gas-filled spherical glass-shell targets are described. Neutron yields to 5 x 107 are produced from implosions of small k 55-11m-diameter) tarots spherically illuminated with an on-target laser power of 0.4 terawatt. Nuclear reaction product diagnostics, X-ray pinhole photographs, fast-ion spectra and X-ray measure- ments are used in conjunction with hydrodynamic computer code simulations to investigate the implosion phenomenology as well as the target corona evolution. Simulations using completely classical effects are not able to descri by the full rang f experimental data. Electron or radiation preheating may be required to explain some implosion measurements. INTRODUCTION Neutron production associated with laser driven compression of small DT-gas-filled spherical-shell targets has now been demonstrated by various laboratories [1,2,3]. Measurements of the alpha particle spectra [4] and proton yield [5 suyges t, that the nuuclear reactions are of thermal origin. Certain implosion results and anomalies in the laser-produced plasma corona discussed herein suggest electron preheating from the laser- deposition region. ―134―