Validation of Thermal-Transport Modeling with Direct-Drive, Planar-Foil Acceleration Experiments on OMEGA

We present for the first time the experimental validation of the nonlocal thermal-transport model for a National Ignition Facility relevant laser intensity of ~10¹⁵ W/cm² on OMEGA. The measured thin target trajectories are in good agreement with predictions based on the nonlocal model over the full range of laser intensities from 2×10¹⁴ to 10¹⁵ W/cm². The standard local thermal-transport model with a constant flux limiter of 0.06 disagrees with experimental measurements at a high intensity of ~10¹⁵ W/cm² but agrees at lower intensities. These results show the significance of nonlocal effects for direct-drive ignition designs.