Ablative implosions of glass microballoon targets driven by twelve 0.53-μm laser beams have been studied by use of secondary DT and D ${}_{}{}^3{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{He}$ fusion reactions in an initially pure deuterium fuel. The tritons and ${}_{}{}^3{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{He}$ nuclei are products of primary DD fusion reactions. Comparisons with results of a hydrodynamic simulation indicate that collisional energy loss for these primary fusion products is strongly enhanced by fuel-pusher mixing taking place during the implosion.

• Received 27 July 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.59.2635