Optimization under Uncertainty Methods for Computational Shock Physics Applications

Optimization under uncertainty (OUU) was performed on an inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsule model using the ALEGRA shock physics simulation code coupled with the DAKOTA software toolkit. The OUU results demonstrate how the inclusion of an uncertain variable in the ICF capsule design problem yields a different optimal design than would have been found with conventional optimization methods. In this particular ICF capsule design, maximum implosion performance of the ICF capsule was sacrificed to obtain robust implosion performance. These results provide a proof-of-concept demonstration of the utility of OUU methods in ICF capsule design and motivate future OUU algorithm development and ICF capsule design studies.