Plasma Physics, Inertial and Magnetic Confinement Fusion, High Energy Density Physics

Turbulance Simulation

Graduate research projects in this area span a wide spectrum of topics in inertial confinement fusion, high-energy-density-physics (HEDP), and plasma/fluid physics.

The work in this area is closely related to the research performed at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) and the Fusion Science Center for Extreme States of Matter and Fast Ignition Physics at the University. The primary experimental facilities are the world-class Omega laser system (60 beams, 30 kJUV) and Omega-EP laser facility, currently under construction.

OMEGA EP will consist of four NIF-scale beamlines that can produce ~6.5 kJUV into a new target chamber. Two of OMEGA EP beams can be configured as High Energy Petawatt(HEPW) beamlines producing 2.6 kJIR in 10 ps duration. The two HEPW OMEGA EP will be completed in FY07, with UV capability available in mid-FY08.

General research topics for faculty members working in fusion/plasma HEDP are listed below. Click on a faculty name for a link to their web page with more detail about their research.

Associated Faculty

  • Hussein Aluie (Computational Fluid Dynamics, Turbulence, Magnetohydrodynamics)
  • Riccardo Betti (Magnetic and inertial confinement fusion)
  • Gilbert 'Rip' Collins (fundamental science of extreme matter found in the deep interiors of planets, stars, and inertial fusion experiments) https://www.rochester.edu/imaxed/
  • Ranga Dias (High Temperature superconductivity; Quantum phase transitions; Dynamic response of solids; Novel material synthesis; High pressure NV optical magnetometry; High energy density physics)
  • Valeri Goncharov (Rayleigh-Taylor instability, inertial confinement fusion)
  • Suxing Hu (Theoretical/Computational High-Energy-Density Physics; Inertial Confinement Fusion; Warm-/Hot-Dense Matter; Intense Laser-Matter Interactions; Ultrafast Dynamics; Attosecond Physics; Computational Atomic; Molecular; Optical Physics)
  • Andrei Maximov (Electron-thermal transport, inertial confinement fusion)
  • Chuang Ren (Laser-plasma interaction, fast ignition, plasma astrophysics, particle-in-cell simulations)
  • Ryan Rygg (Experimental high-energy-density physics; shock waves; inertial confinement fusion)
  • Sean Regan ( Inertial Confinement Fusion; High Energy Density Physics; Novel Diagnostic Development; X-ray spectroscopy and imaging; Neutron and Charged Particle Spectroscopy and Imaging; 3-D Diagnostics)
  • Adam Sefkow (Inertial confinement fusion; magneto-inertial fusion; high energy density physics; laser-plasma interaction; computational physics; magnetohydrodynamics; particle-in-cell simulations)