Laboratory researchers named APS fellows

Two Lab researchers — Andy MacKinnon and Per Söderlind — have been named 2008 Fellows of the American Physical Society (APS).

MacKinnon, a group leader in the National Ignition Facility’s (NIF) Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) program has been at the Lab since 1999.

He was honored for "pioneering experimental studies of interactions of intense laser pulses with matter and in particular, the physics and applications of short-pulse laser-driven proton beams."

MacKinnon’s research involved developing diagnostics of the interaction of intense short-pulse lasers with matter and the production of mega-electron volt proton beams using ultra-intense laser pulses.

These proton beams are particularly interesting because they can be used to probe plasmas or create extreme states of matter (see "Using proton beams to create and probe plasma," S&TR, December 2003 ). Applications of these proton beams are being actively pursued by research groups around the world.

Söderlind, of Science and Technology’s Condensed Matter and Materials Division, has been at the Lab since 1994. He was honored for "important contributions in electronic-structure theory for transition and actinide metals, particularly plutonium."

His first scientific publication, on plutonium and the light actinides, appeared in the APS journal, Physical Review B in 1990. Earlier this year, Söderlind received an LLNL award for his classified work on plutonium.

This year, 225 new fellows were elected to the APS . Less than half of a percent of the APS members are fellows. It is a distinct honor because the evaluation process, conducted by the fellowship committees of individual divisions, topical groups and forums, relies on nomination and recommendation by one's professional peers.