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Center for High Energy Density Science
Two LLNL scientists selected as 2023 American Physical Society fellows
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists Manyalibo “Ibo” Matthews and Frank Graziani have been named 2023 American Physical Society (APS) fellows. Matthews was selected from the Forum in Industrial and Applied Physics unit “for pioneering research in optimizing metal 3D printing and laser materials processing.” Frank Graziani was chosen from the Division of…
Bringing the literature on laser-plasma interactions up to date
For many years, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicist Pierre Michel, an internationally known expert on the physics of laser-plasma interactions (LPI), saw a gap in his field’s literature: the lack of an up-to-date textbook on LPI relevant to the kind of experiments conducted on LLNL’s National Ignition Facility (NIF). Michel was concerned because LPI,…
Lab scientist wins Springer Thesis Award
Elizabeth Grace, the High Energy Density Science (HEDS) Center Fellow at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), has won a 2023 Springer Thesis Award for her work in short-pulse laser physics. “I am very honored to receive this award from Springer Theses, and I look forward to publication,” Grace said. Her thesis will be published in a book series: Springer Theses:…
National Academies release report on high energy density science with LLNL contributions
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report, Fundamental Research in High Energy Density Science, which identifies key challenges and science questions for the field of High Energy Density (HED) science for the coming decade and proposes ways to address them. The report follows a year-and-a-half-long consensus study by a committee of 13…
'Twisted' laser light experiments offer new insights into plasma physics
Electromagnetic vortices occur naturally throughout the universe and have recently been observed in association with black holes. Over the last decade, scientists have sought methods to investigate how extremely strong electromagnetic vortices interact with matter, specifically plasma, in a laboratory setting. Plasma, known as the “fourth state of matter,” makes up nearly…
Scientists use simulations to examine the performance of materials in NIF experiments
Scientists have examined the performance of pure boron, boron carbide, high-density carbon and boron nitride ablators — the material that surrounds a fusion fuel and couples with the laser or hohlraum radiation in an experiment — in the polar direct drive exploding pusher (PDXP) platform, which is used at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The platform uses the polar…
Center Collaborates with UC San Diego to Deliver Plasma Diagnostics Course
LLNL’s HED Science Center is collaborating with the University of California (UC) San Diego, to offer a graduate-level course in diagnostics for HED plasmas. The 10-week online course will begin on March 31, 2020 and will be co-taught by two HED science experts from LLNL. HED plasma physics is a growing field, with many major laser and pulsed-power facilities around the…
Application Period Opens for HEDS Postdoctoral Fellowship at LLNL
The HED Science Center is offering a highly competitive, two-year postdoctoral position at LLNL. The fellowship is open to researchers working in all HED-related disciplines. Fellows are free to pursue their own research agenda under the guidance of a senior staff scientist who serves as a mentor.
Center Offers Short Course on Laser-Plasma Interactions
The High Energy Density Science (HEDS) will offer a three-week course during November 2019, which will explore the principles of laser-plasma interactions that are relevant to HED physics, with a focus on unmagnetized plasmas. Pierre Michel, an LLNL expert in plasma physics, will teach the course on-site at LLNL, and his recorded lectures will be available through the HEDS…
Center Collaborates with University of Rochester to Deliver New Graduate Course
The LLNL High Energy Density Science (HEDS) Center is collaborating with the University of Rochester to offer a new graduate course focused on special topics in HED physics, as part of the Center's expanding range of educational opportunities. This course will survey the field of HED Science, extending from ultra-dense matter to the radiation-dominated regime. Topics will…
LLNL’s HED Science Center Facilitates Collaborations with Researchers from Japan
LLNL’s High Energy Density (HED) Science Center continues to foster a broad range of collaborative efforts with researchers and students from Japan. For example, the HED Science Center co-organized a workshop regarding U.S.–Japan collaborations in HED science. The two-day event was held in January 2019 at the Japanese Embassy and the Carnegie Endowment for International…
LLNL Collaborates with the University of California and LANL to Study Frontiers in HED Science
The University of California (UC) Office of the President provided more than $4 million to fund a three-year collaborative effort between UC researchers and scientists at two national laboratories—LLNL and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The three-year effort includes establishing the Center for Frontiers in High Energy Density Science (CfHEDS) to study the fundamentals of…
Seminar Series Connects HED Science Experts
LLNL’s High Energy Density (HED) Science Center hosted 31 speakers during 2018 as part of the Center’s Seminar Series. The ongoing program invites HED science researchers from around the world to discuss their work, helping LLNL scientists expand their awareness of HED science research at other institutions, and connecting experts from other institutions with LLNL…
LLNL’s HED Science Center Collaborates with APS Bridge Program
On December 11, 2018, LLNL hosted a visit from Ted Hodapp, senior advisor to the U.S. Department of Education for the American Physical Society (APS) and leader of the APS Bridge Program, which aims to increase the number of individuals from underrepresented groups who hold physics degrees. As HED science is one of LLNL’s core missions and an essential research area for…
Center Delivers New HED Science Courses
As part of efforts to expand educational opportunities in High Energy Density (HED) science, LLNL’s HED Science Center delivered an 11-week course regarding Extreme Physics for students from the University of California (UC) San Diego. Jeff Colvin, a physicist at LLNL and co-author of the textbook Extreme Physics, taught the class, which took place during Fall 2018…
New Consortium Aims to Expand HED Science Education and Research Collaborations
A three-year funding award from NNSA’s Minority Serving Institution Partnership Program enabled LLNL and three academic institutions to form the Consortium for High Energy Density Science, a partnership that aims to expand educational opportunities for students and research collaborations among the participating institutions, which include Florida A&M University,…
LLNL Partners with UC San Diego and Other Institutions to Form an NNSA Center of Excellence
LLNL will be part of a new National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Center of Excellence, which will be managed by the University of California (UC) San Diego. With funding provided by NNSA, the Center for Matter under Extreme Conditions (CMEC) will facilitate interaction between national lab scientists and university leaders and provide opportunities for students…
HEDS Center Strategic Plan Emphasizes Education and Collaborative Research
LLNL’s High Energy Density Science (HEDS) Center released its five-year strategic plan in September 2018, highlighting the Center’s focus on fostering expanded research collaborations in the field of HED science and increasing the number of scientists working in this rapidly evolving discipline. The strategic planning group—led by HEDS Center Director Frank Graziani—met…
HED Science Center Hosts Workshop on Nuclear Processes in Dense Plasmas
The Laboratory’s High Energy Density (HED) Science Center hosted a workshop regarding nuclear processes in dense plasmas, providing a forum where members of the HED science and nuclear physics communities could share ideas. The workshop took place on July 30 and August 1, 2018, at LLNL. According to Frank Graziani, director of the HED Science Center, the workshop offered…
LLNL’s Academic Collaboration Team Focuses on Strategic Partnerships
The High Energy Density (HED) Science Center at LLNL participates in the Laboratory’s Academic Collaboration Team (ACT), established in early 2018, which also includes LLNL’s Inertial Confinement Fusion and Weapon Physics Design programs. The goal of this multidisciplinary team is to advance LLNL’s strategic partnerships with universities, and the HEDS Center contributes…
