The Inertial Confinement Fusion and High Energy Density Physics communities rely upon detailed numerical simulations to guide the planning and design of experiments, and perform analysis of the results. The 2D/3D multiphysics code HYDRA is a tool used by these communities to simulate a wide range of targets. It treats a very broad variety of the physical processes important in these experiments, generally based upon a first principles theory. We discuss the processes modelled in these simulations, with an emphasis on the special requirements for modelling high density plasma physics. We consider various examples of how HYDRA is utilized to support experiments, including within the ignition campaign on the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Current areas of research and development will be summarized, including a new inline model for energy transfer between crossing laser beams, and a new polar SN method for radiation transport. We will outline challenges for the future, including adapting for petascale and exascale compuing platforms.
Gary D. Kerbel, Joseph M. Koning, Mehul V. Patel, Scott M. Sepke, Britton Chang
This work was performed under the auspices of the Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, (LLNS) under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344
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