361Energy from Nuclear Fusion
to come in from one or two sides, rather than distributed uniformly over the
surface of a spherical chamber.
9.3.3 Inertial Fusion Drivers
Inertial fusion can also be categorized by the type of driver it uses.
Experiments to date have been driven by lasers (see the LIFE website) or
pulsed power (Cuneo et al. 2010). Most of the lasers are ashlamp-pumped
solid-state lasers that have low electrical efciencies (of order 10
−3
to 10
−2
) and
low repetition rates of a few shots per day. Lasers are ideal for IFE ignition
experiments: photons are electrically neutral, so can be focused to very high
power densities with no limits from space charge effects; the time depen-
dence of laser beam power can be precisely controlled; ...