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The Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) provides fertile ground for the study of high energy density and plasma physics, and controlled nuclear fusion. My interests span many of these research areas. There are opportunities for graduate studies in all of the areas described below. The primary experimental facility at LLE is the 60 beam, 30 kJ OMEGA laser system. Our experiments cover many research areas relevant to direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF). These include hydrodynamics (Rayleigh-Taylor instability), compression, x-ray spectroscopy and thermonuclear burn, the equation of state of materials, and laser-plasma interactions. The research program is focused on demonstrating conditions that scale to successful ignition experiments on the National Ignition Facility, currently under construction at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Some of our research is performed in collaboration with scientists from LLNL, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the French Atomic Energy Commission. Recent graduate students have written PhD theses in a number of these research areas. LLE is currently constructing the OMEGA EP laser system adjacent to the OMEGA facility. It will consist of two high-energy (2.6 kJ each) petawatt (HEPW) beamlines and two high-energy long pulse (~10ns) ones. The two HEPW beamlines will also operate in the long pulse configuration. The HEPW beamlines will be used in a separate target chamber, or coupled with the OMEGA laser. OMEGA EP will greatly expand our high energy density research capabilities, including the study of fast ignition, an alternative fusion concept, and high intensity laser matter interactions. My research activities have also involved the interaction of high intensity laser pulses with various forms of matter. When the laser intensity is high enough that the electric field is comparable the atomic field atoms are rapidly ionized and high order harmonics of the laser frequency. At even higher intensities, the motion of electrons in the field becomes anharmonic. This leads to nonlinear Thomson and Compton scattering. At even higher intensities, matter can be created out of the vacuum in nonlinear photon-photon collisions. Omega EP will allow further research in this area. If you would like to get additional information about any of these research areas please contact me. Relevant links: |
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