[en] International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor-Fusion Energy Advanced Tokamak (ITER-FEAT) Breeding Blanket (BB) will be different from the design defined by the released version named 'ITER-98' from the size as well as the neutron wall loading (NWL) point of view. In fact global dimensions and output power of ITER-FEAT have been approximately reduced by a factor of 3. The BB under study corresponds to the main solutions of ITER-98 project , that is: breeder in tube, consisting of pellets of a Lithium compound; neutron multiplier made of a pebble bed of Beryllium; cooling plates (using pressurized water as coolant) as basic cell boundaries; stainless steel as structural material. This paper deals with the neutronic as well as the thermal mechanical analyses of the envisaged BB in order to assess its performances in terms of Tritium production and thermal mechanical resistance. The code MCNP version 4B has been used for the neutronic analyses while the thermal-mechanical analyses have been performed by means of the FEM codes MARC and ANSYS. The preliminary analyses demonstrated that the proposed BB verifies the temperature constraints for the Breeder (temperature contained in the 'thermal window') as well as for the multiplier (Be temperature lower than 500 deg. C), but the configuration of the breeder and multiplier in the basic cell have to be modified in order to obtain a Tritium Breeder Ratio larger than 1

[en] An experimental investigation on the interaction of 30 femtosecond laser pulses with 0.1 and 1.0 μm thick plastic foils has been performed at intensities from 5x10¹⁶ to 5x10¹⁸ W/cm². The interaction physics was found to be definitely different whether the nanosecond low intensity prepulses led to an early plasma formation or not. In the first case high reflectivity and very low transmittivity were observed, together with second and three-half harmonic generation. In absence of precursor plasma, with increasing intensity, reflectivity dropped to low values, while transmittivity increased up to an almost complete transparency. No harmonic generation was observed in this latter condition, while ultra-fast ionisation was inferred by the blue-shift of the transmitted pulse. Finally, intense hard X-ray emission was detected at the maximum laser intensity level. Current theories or numerical simulations cannot explain the observed transparency. A new model of magnetically induced optical transparency (MIOT) is briefly introduced

[en] By the year 2010 a new laser will be operational at the CNR Campus in Pisa. The laser system will deliver two beams each one providing 1-ns 50-joule pulses of high optical quality and full control of phase. The major feature of the system is its spectral and time shape flexibility ranging from narrowband single mode operation to broadband operation with pulse tailoring. According to previous experiments and recent simulations, these features could critically determine the laser-pellet coupling in the different approaches to laser fusion. The physics involved in the different coupling processes is still not fully investigated experimentally. The BLISS laser, combined with the rest of the ILIL experimental facility, including ultrafast optical probing, time resolved optical X-ray diagnostics and particle detection could contribute to this investigation with ad hoc small scale experiments. The main features of the innovative BLISS laser front end for broadband operation are shown, together with the amplification chain and the main features of the experimental installation. Data from simulations providing a useful input for future experiments are also presented. BLISS is expected to contribute to the preparatory phase of the large scale European HiPER project.