Isothermal expansion of a spherical layer with a given areal density into vacuum

Abstract

An analytical solution has been obtained for the spherical isothermal expansion of the outer layer of a ball whose mass increases at a constant areal density of the heated layer, which is equal to the product of the initial values of the depth of heating and the density of the layer for the entire time of expansion into vacuum. This solution differs from the known solution for the isothermal spherical expansion of a given mass of a material in a slower decrease in the density and, as a result, in the pressure of the expanding material with the time. In particular, it describes the expansion of the boundary layer of the ball heated by a flow of fast electrons in application to the problem of the ignition of an inertial confinement fusion target by a shock wave induced because of the heating of the target by the flow of laser-accelerated fast electrons (shock ignition).