In the previous works (Rozanov et al., 2013; 2015) we have performed one-dimensional (1D) numerical simulations of the target compression and burning at the absorbed energy of ~1.5 MJ. As a result, the target was chosen to have a low initial aspect ratio in order to be less sensitive to the influence of such parameters as laser pulse duration, total laser energy, and equations of state model. The simulation results demonstrated a higher probability of ignition and effective burning of such a system. In the present work we discuss the impact of irradiation asymmetry on this baseline target implosion. The details of the 1D compression and a possible influence of 2D and 3D effects due to the hydrodynamic instability and mixing have been described. In accordance with the 2D calculations the target is still ignited, however, the symmetry analysis of 3D ones gives reasons to further reduce the efficiency of conversion of kinetic energy into potential energy.

Fusion reactions of solid density boron-11 with protons after initiation of a fusion flame by very powerful picosecond laser pulses were derived for plane geometry. The problem of lateral energy losses with laser beams was solved by using spherical geometry, where however the gains are limited. The other elimination of losses now available by cylinder-axis symmetric 10 kilotesla magnetic fields is possible needing laser powers in the exawatt range. Estimations are presented by varying parameters for reducing the necessary laser pulse powers to lower values by up to a factor 100.

One of the numerous applications of the ICAN laser using the advantage of fiber optics with chirped pulse amplification (CPA), is the scheme of side-on initiation of a nuclear fusion flame in solid density fuel with laser pulses of shorter than picosecond (ps) duration and power in the petawatt (PW) and higher range. The ICAN Fiber optics has special advantages with the potential that >900 PW spherical laser pulses may ignite the proton reaction with 11B (HB11) without the problem of dangerous radioactive radiation. Though secondary reactions can be estimated very roughly, the feasibility of a power station with the necessary energy gains can be concluded.