Inertial fusion energy issues of intense heavy ion and laser beams interacting with ionized matter studied at GSI-Darmstadt

European activities on inertial fusion energy are coordinated by keep in touch activities of the European Fusion Programme coordinated by the European Commission. There is no general inertial fusion program in Europe. Instead, a number of activities relevant to inertial fusion are carried out by university groups and research centers. The Helmholtz-Research Center GSI-Darmstadt (Gesellschaft fur Schwerionenforschung) operates accelerator facilities which provide the highest intensity for heavy ion beams and therefore key issues of ion beam driven fusion can be addressed. In addition to the accelerator facilities, one high-energy laser system is available (nhelix: nanosecond high-energy laser for ion experiments) and another one is under construction (PHELIX: petawatt high-energy laser for ion experiments). The heavy ion synchrotron facility, SIS18 (Schwer-Ionen-Synchrotron 18) recently delivered an intense uranium beam that deposits about 1 kJ/g specific energy in solid matter. Using this beam, experiments have been performed where solid Pb- and Ta-targets have been heated to the level of 1 eV. Experiments to study interaction mechanism of heavy ion beams with matter have been continued and are reported here. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.