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The Orion Laser Facility at AWE in the UK consists of ten nanosecond beamlines and two sub-picosecond beamlines. The nanosecond beamlines each nominally deliver 500 J at 351 nm in a 1 ns square temporal profile, but can also deliver a user-definable temporal profile with durations between 0.1 ns and 5 ns. The sub-picosecond beamlines each nominally deliver 500 J at 1053 nm in a 500 fs pulse, with a peak irradiance of greater than 10 21 W/cm 2 . One of the sub-picosecond beamlines can also be frequency-converted to deliver 100 J at 527 nm in a 500 fs pulse, although this is at half the aperture of the 1053 nm beam. Commissioning of all twelve beamlines has been completed, including the 527 nm sub-picosecond option. An overview of the design of the Orion beamlines will be presented, along with a summary of the commissioning and subsequent performance data. The design of Orion was underwritten by running various computer simulations of the beamlines. Work is now underway to validate these simulations against real system data, with the aim of creating predictive models of beamline performance. These predictive models will enable the user’s experimental requirements to be critically assessed ahead of time, and will ultimately be used to determine key system settings and parameters. The facility is now conducting high energy density physics experiments. A capability experiment has already been conducted that demonstrates that Orion can generate plasmas at several million Kelvin and several times solid density. From March 2013 15% of the facility operating time will be given over to external academic users in addition to collaborative experiments with AWE scientists.

Laser-Plasma Interactions and Applications covers the fundamental and applied aspects of high power laser-plasma physics. With an internationally renowned team of authors, the book broadens the knowledge of young researchers working in high power laser-plasma science by providing them with a thorough pedagogical grounding in the interaction of laser radiation with matter, laser-plasma accelerators, and inertial confinement fusion. The text is organised such that the theoretical foundations of the subject are discussed first, in Part I. In Part II, topics in the area of high energy density physics are covered. Parts III and IV deal with the applications to inertial confinement fusion and as a driver of particle and radiation sources, respectively. Finally, Part V describes the principle diagnostic, targetry, and computational approaches used in the field. This book is designed to give students a thorough foundation in the fundamental physics of laser-plasma interactions. It will also provide readers with knowledge of the latest research trends and elucidate future exciting challenges in laser-plasma science.

This paper has an attitude - that the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is needed. The NIF will be unique in its ability to address high energy density physics and to test fusion ignition in the laboratory. This is a major scientific step and has high appeal to scientists and engineers. The reason for taking this step now is the importance of high energy density physics for US policy on nuclear weapons. The fact that the same capability and experiments give the most fundamental information on the potential of inertial fusion for commercial energy, and have value for applications in astrophysics, further supports the case for proceeding with this facility. 21 refs., 6 figs.

Knowledge of the density of aerogel foams used in high energy density physics experiments is crucial for simulating and understanding the results of experiments. An average density for the foams is gravimetrically determined, but provides no information on the uniformity of the density. X-ray radiography is used to determine the density uniformity of the foams and the average density of the foams. A comparison between a monochromatic and polychromatic method of determining the density from the x-ray radiography is performed and compared to the gravimetric results.

StarDriver was recently proposed as a highly flexible laser driver for inertial confinement fusion and high energy density physics. It envisions a laser drive consisting of very many beams at an aperture and energy where the optical technology is well-developed, used in concert to create a large scale laser driver system. In this paper we describe a StarDriver-class laser with 5120 physical beamlets disposed about the target chamber in 80 evenly spaced ports, each port containing 64 beamlets, each beamlet having about ~1.5THz of 2D SSD bandwidth and suitable phase plates, an aperture of ~65mm, an energy of 80J, and frequency-converted to ~351nm.many beamlets at an aperture where optical technology is well-developed, and each beamlet has energy ~100J in a several times diffraction limited beam. The ensemble of beamlets has frequency bandwidth 2%-10%, thereby providing significant control of both hydrodynamic and laser-plasma instabilities The drive at the target is ~400kJ, has a well-behaved low L-mode spectrum, and smooths very rapidly, reaching an asymptotic smoothness of

The laser Megajoule (LMJ) facility is designed to provide the experimental capabilities to study High Energy Density Physics (HEDP). The LMJ is part of the Simulation Program, which combines improvement of physics models, high performance numerical simulation, and experimental validation. Since the operational commissioning of the LMJ, in October 2014, several experimental campaigns have been achieved. They have demonstrated the good performances of LMJ and demonstrated its aptitudes to perform experiments for the Simulation Program. The PETAL project consists in the addition of one short-pulse (ps) ultra- high-power, high-energy beam (kJ) to the LMJ facility. The first high energy test shots in the compressor stage of PETAL, performed in May 2015, have reached a power of 1.2 PW. PETAL will offer a combination of a very high intensity multi-petawatt beam, synchronized with the nanosecond beams of the LMJ. This combination will expand the LMJ experimental field in HEDP. LMJ-PETAL is open to the academic communities; the first experiments are planned in 2017.

International project, Facility for Antiprotons and Ion Research (FAIR), has entered in its construction phase at Darmstadt. It is expected that the new powerful heavy ion synchrotron, SIS100 will deliver a strongly bunched intense beam of energetic uranium ions that will provide the scientists with an efficient and novel tool to research High Energy Density (HED) Physics in the laboratory. Over the past 15 years, substantial theoretical work has been done to design numerous experiments that can be done at this facility in this field. This work has resulted in an extensive scientific proposal named HEDgeHOB, that includes experiment proposals addressing various aspects of HED matter, for example, planetary physics, equation of state, hydrodynamic instabilities and others. In this paper we present a summary of this work.

The implosions of initially solid beryllium liners (tubes) have been imaged with penetrating radiography through to stagnation. These novel radiographic data reveal a high degree of azimuthal correlation in the evolving magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor structure at times just prior to (and during) stagnation, providing stringent constraints on the simulation tools used by the broader high energy density physics and inertial confinement fusion communities. To emphasize this point, comparisons to 2D and 3D radiation magnetohydrodynamics simulations are also presented. Both agreement and substantial disagreement have been found, depending on how the liner's initial outer surface finish was modeled. The various models tested, and the physical implications of these models are discussed. These comparisons exemplify the importance of the experimental data obtained.

Summary form only given. The interaction process between the ion beam and dense plasma provides a new tool to investigate dense plasma phenomena associated with high energy density physics. Recently, many experiments1 have been devoted in the warm dense matter (WDM) part of high energy density regime, which provides important experimental data for beam plasma interactions.

The description of beams in RF and induction accelerators share many common features. Likewise, there is considerable commonality between electron induction accelerators (see Chap. 7) and ion induction accelerators. However, in contrast to electron induction accelerators, there are fewer ion induction accelerators that have been operated as application-driven user facilities. Ion induction accelerators are envisioned for applications (see Chap. 10) such as Heavy Ion Fusion (HIF), High Energy Density Physics (HEDP), and spallation neutron sources. Most ion induction accelerators constructed to date have been limited scale facilities built for feasibility studies for HIF and HEDP where a large numbers of ions are required on target in short pulses. Because ions are typically non-relativistic or weakly relativistic in much of the machine, space-charge effects can be of crucial importance. This contrasts the situation with electron machines, which are usually strongly relativistic leading to weaker transverse space-charge effects and simplified longitudinal dynamics. Similarly, the bunch structure of ion induction accelerators relative to RF machines results in significant differences in the longitudinal physics.

The Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment (NDCX-II) is an induction accelerator project currently in construction at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for High Energy Density Physics (HEDP) experiments. This accelerator requires 30 pulsers to drive the high magnetic field transport solenoids. Each solenoid requires 7 kA to provide a maximum of 2.5 T peak magnetic field on axis. A 2 mF capacitor at 4 kV is discharged through an SCR into the solenoid inductance to produce a half-sine current pulse width of 2.8 ms. The details of the pulser design and fabrication are described as well as prototype test measurements.

Edward Teller’s work on what is now called High Energy Density Physics (HEDP) is not so well known as some of his work in other areas of physics. Yet he made substantial contributions since the 1940s and the models that he developed and the problems that he worked on are still relevant today. In this talk we shall look at two major areas in HEDP with the first treated more historically and the second more with a view to recent work that the author and others have undertaken which perhaps indicates future directions.

Thèse sous financement CEA-CFR, Présente affiliation de l'auteur : CEA/DAM - Ile de France; Calculations of the radiative properties of dense plasmas are usually based on the concept of an atom in a plasma. Such a concept is often used in average-atom models which constitute a good starting point for more sophisticated statistical approaches. Average-atom models are also directly useful in the calculation of the equation of state and of some transport coefficients. Since Feynman, Metropolis and Teller application of the Thomas-Fermi model to dense plasmas, all attempts to construct a quantum extension of the model have led to some thermodynamic inconsistencies. This work concerns a variational Average-Atom model of dense plasmas. Contrary to other models, this one gives access to the thermodynamic equilibrium and respects the virial theorem. In order to resolve the model's equations, a numerical code called VAAQP (Variational Average-Atom in Quantum Plasmas) was written. In particular, it allows us to calculate the equation of state. After a description of other models, we outline the variational model formalism in the framework of the Thomas-Fermi theory, of the non-relativistic quantum mechanics, and of the relativistic quantum mechanics. It is then shown that the variational model fulfills the virial theorem and the thermodynamic inconsistencies of the other models are explained. The numerical methods which constitute the basis of the VAAQP code are described. Applications of the variational model to equation of state computations are presented and compared to results from other models, such as INFERNO. Comparisons to experiments on the Hugoniot shock adiabats are also shown.; Le calcul des propriétés radiatives des plasmas denses fait en général appel au concept d'atome dans un plasma. Parmi les modèles qui définissent un tel concept, les modèles d'atome moyen représentent souvent un point de départ indispensable avant des approches statistiques plus sophistiquées. En outre, ils permettent de calculer les propriétés thermodynamiques ainsi que certains coefficients de transport. Depuis l'application du modèle quasiclassique de Thomas-Fermi aux plasmas denses par Feynman, Metropolis et Teller, toutes ses généralisations quantiques ont conduit à des modèles qui présentent des inconsistances thermodynamiques. Ce travail porte sur un modèle variationnel d'atome moyen pour la description des plasmas denses. Contrairement aux autres modèles, ce dernier donne, par construction, accès à l'équilibre thermodynamique et vérifie le théorème du viriel. Afin de résoudre les équations de ce modèle, un code nommé VAAQP (Variational Average-Atom in Quantum Plasmas) a été réalisé. Il permet notamment le calcul de l'équation d'état des plasmas denses. Après un état de l'art des modèles d'atome moyen, le formalisme du modèle variationnel est décrit dans ses versions Thomas-Fermi, quantique non-relativiste et quantique relativiste. La validité du théorème du viriel pour ce modèle est démontrée et l'inconsistance thermodynamique des autres modèles est expliquée. Les méthodes numériques qui sont appliquées dans VAAQP sont ensuite exposées. Enfin, les résultats obtenus avec le modèle variationnel, concernant les équations d'état, sont commentés et comparés aux résultats d'autres modèles, dont le modèle INFERNO, ainsi qu'à des résultats d'expériences sur les adiabatiques d'Hugoniot.

Thèse sous financement CEA-CFR, Présente affiliation de l'auteur : CEA/DAM - Ile de France; Calculations of the radiative properties of dense plasmas are usually based on the concept of an atom in a plasma. Such a concept is often used in average-atom models which constitute a good starting point for more sophisticated statistical approaches. Average-atom models are also directly useful in the calculation of the equation of state and of some transport coefficients. Since Feynman, Metropolis and Teller application of the Thomas-Fermi model to dense plasmas, all attempts to construct a quantum extension of the model have led to some thermodynamic inconsistencies. This work concerns a variational Average-Atom model of dense plasmas. Contrary to other models, this one gives access to the thermodynamic equilibrium and respects the virial theorem. In order to resolve the model's equations, a numerical code called VAAQP (Variational Average-Atom in Quantum Plasmas) was written. In particular, it allows us to calculate the equation of state. After a description of other models, we outline the variational model formalism in the framework of the Thomas-Fermi theory, of the non-relativistic quantum mechanics, and of the relativistic quantum mechanics. It is then shown that the variational model fulfills the virial theorem and the thermodynamic inconsistencies of the other models are explained. The numerical methods which constitute the basis of the VAAQP code are described. Applications of the variational model to equation of state computations are presented and compared to results from other models, such as INFERNO. Comparisons to experiments on the Hugoniot shock adiabats are also shown.; Le calcul des propriétés radiatives des plasmas denses fait en général appel au concept d'atome dans un plasma. Parmi les modèles qui définissent un tel concept, les modèles d'atome moyen représentent souvent un point de départ indispensable avant des approches statistiques plus sophistiquées. En outre, ils permettent de calculer les propriétés thermodynamiques ainsi que certains coefficients de transport. Depuis l'application du modèle quasiclassique de Thomas-Fermi aux plasmas denses par Feynman, Metropolis et Teller, toutes ses généralisations quantiques ont conduit à des modèles qui présentent des inconsistances thermodynamiques. Ce travail porte sur un modèle variationnel d'atome moyen pour la description des plasmas denses. Contrairement aux autres modèles, ce dernier donne, par construction, accès à l'équilibre thermodynamique et vérifie le théorème du viriel. Afin de résoudre les équations de ce modèle, un code nommé VAAQP (Variational Average-Atom in Quantum Plasmas) a été réalisé. Il permet notamment le calcul de l'équation d'état des plasmas denses. Après un état de l'art des modèles d'atome moyen, le formalisme du modèle variationnel est décrit dans ses versions Thomas-Fermi, quantique non-relativiste et quantique relativiste. La validité du théorème du viriel pour ce modèle est démontrée et l'inconsistance thermodynamique des autres modèles est expliquée. Les méthodes numériques qui sont appliquées dans VAAQP sont ensuite exposées. Enfin, les résultats obtenus avec le modèle variationnel, concernant les équations d'état, sont commentés et comparés aux résultats d'autres modèles, dont le modèle INFERNO, ainsi qu'à des résultats d'expériences sur les adiabatiques d'Hugoniot.

The intense laser driven fast electrons originating from the tip of an inverse cone target are guided and confined to propagate along the wall surface, resulting in an emission cone of fast electrons. The guiding and confinement of fast electrons is of importance for fast ignition in inertial confinement fusion and several applications in high energy density science.

We present a summary of the presentations and discussions that were made in Working Group 4 during AAC 2008.

International audience; In this paper, we derive the scaling laws for different radiating fluids. The studied regimes are relevant for both laboratory astrophysics and High Energy Density Physics. Using Lie groups theory, we obtain scaling laws, the similarity properties and the number of free parameters to rescale experiments.

Nevada Terawatt Facility (NTF) currently operates a high-intensity laser system—Leopard. NTF already operates a powerful z-pinch device, called Zebra, for plasma and High Energy Density physics research. The unique research opportunities arise from the combination of NTF’s terawatt Zebra z-pinch with 50-terawatt-class Leopard laser. This combination also provides opportunities to address fundamental physics of inertial fusion and high energy density physics with intense laser beam. We report on the status, design and architecture of the Leopard laser project. A first experiments carried out with Leopard will be also briefly mentioned.

Only a handful of universities in the US offer any formal training in accelerator science. The United States Particle Accelerator School (USPAS) is National Graduate Educational Program that has developed a highly successful educational paradigm that, over the past twenty‐years, has granted more university credit in accelerator/beam science and technology than any university in the world. Sessions are held twice annually, hosted by major US research universities that approve course credit, certify the USPAS faculty, and grant course credit. The USPAS paradigm is readily extensible to other rapidly developing, cross‐disciplinary research areas such as high energy density physics.

High energy density science (HEDS), as a discipline that has developed in the United States from National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA)-sponsored laboratory research programs, is, and will remain, a major component of the NNSA science and technology strategy. Its scientific borders are not restricted to NNSA. 'Frontiers in High Energy Density Physics: The X-Games of Contemporary Science' identified numerous exciting scientific opportunities in this field, while pointing to the need for a overarching interagency plan for its evolution. Meanwhile, construction of the first x-ray free-electron laser, the Office-of-Science-funded Linear Coherent Light Source-LCLS: the world's first free electron x-ray laser, with 100-fsec time resolution, tunable x-ray energies, a high rep rate, and a 10 order-of-magnitude increase in brightness over any other x-ray source--led to the realization that the scientific needs of NNSA and the broader scientific community could be well served by an LCLS HEDS endstation employing both short-pulse and high-energy optical lasers. Development of this concept has been well received in the community. NNSA requested a workshop on the applicability of LCLS to its needs. 'High Energy Density Science at the LCLS: NNSA Defense Programs Mission Need' was held in December 2006. The workshop provided strong support for the relevancemore » of the endstation to NNSA strategic requirements. The range of science that was addressed covered a wide swath of the vast HEDS phase space. The unique possibilities provided by the LCLS in areas of intense interest to NNSA Defense Programs were discussed. The areas of focus included warm dense matter and equations of state, hot dense matter, and behavior of high-pressure materials under conditions of high strain-rate and extreme dynamic loading. Development of new and advanced diagnostic techniques was also addressed. This report lays out the relevant science, as brief summaries (Ch. II), expanded descriptions (Ch. V), and a more detailed plans for experiments (Ch. VI), highlighting the uniqueness the HEDS endstation will play in providing mission-relevant HED data and in the development of the field. One of the more exciting aspects of NNSA-relevant experiments on LCLS is that, given the extraordinary investment and consequent advances in accurate atomic-scale simulations of matter (to a large extent via the Accelerated Scientific Computing program sponsored by NNSA), the facility will provide a platform that, for the first time, will permit experiments in the regimes of interest at the time and spatial scales of the simulations. In Chapter III, the report places the potential of LCLS with an HED science endstation in the context of science required by NNSA, as well as explicating the relationship of NNSA and HED science in general. Chapter IV discusses 4th-generation light sources, like LCLS, in the context of other laboratory technologies presently utilized by NNSA. The report concludes, noting that an HED endstation on LCLS can provide access to data in regimes that are relevant to NNSA needs but no mechanism exists for providing such data. The endstation will also serve to build a broad-based community in the 'X-Games' of physics. The science generated by the facility will be a collaboration of NNSA-based laboratory scientists and university-based researchers. The LCLS endstation fulfills the need for an intermediate-scale facility capable of delivering fundamental advances and mission-relevant research in high energy density science.« less

In this paper, radiating fluids scaling laws are studied. We focus on optically thin and optically thick regimes which are relevant for both astrophysics and laboratory experiments. By using homothetic Lie groups, we obtain the scaling laws, the similarity properties and the number of free parameters which allow to rescale experiments in the two astrophyscial situations., Comment: accepted paper

Summary form only given. High-density, high Mach number plasma jets have many important applications for high energy density physics (HEDP) as well as for astrophysics. Interaction and merging of plasma jets were studied and compared using the LSP code for a wide range of parameters (density 1012~1018 cm-3 , temperature 1-10 eV, jet velocity 10-1000 km/s, collision angle 30deg-120deg). Different merging regimes were observed. Plasma density and collision angle of the jets are crucial parameters which determine the interaction dynamics. Well focused merged plasma jets were obtained for relatively low densities and velocities of jets. High turbulent plasma flows were observed for higher densities. Higher jet velocity leaded to an asymmetrical twisting flow. The behavior of plasma jets was also compared with interaction of neutral gas jets. The 3D/2D particle LSP code was used for comprehensive analysis of interaction dynamics of the plasma jets.

A combination of theory, simulation, and high-quality experiments has enabled significant progress in many high energy density science applications. While the recent science and engineering of pulsed power has been focused on the refurbishment of Z and developing advanced radiographic capabilities, discovery and innovation in the fundamental architecture of pulsed power systems have also made significant advances. This progress started in 1996 when the Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator (PBFA II), which began operation in 1985, was converted to the Z facility. The Z Refurbishment (ZR) project began six years later, driven by the need for more capacity (the ability to perform more experiments), improved precision (more precise pulse shaping, longer pulses, and reduced jitter), and more capability (higher energy delivered to the load and better diagnostic access). Over the past year, the Z facility was completely dismantled and rebuilt with newly designed components within the same basic 36-module architecture. With the completion of this project in 2007, the pulsed power sciences program at Sandia will work with many collaborators to apply this new capability to many areas of high energy density science, including z-pinch-driven inertial confinement fusion, dynamic materials properties, and radiation hydrodynamics. This paper summarizes recent and planned research on the Z facility, the ZR Project, advances in high-photon-energy radiography, derivative applications of the pulsed power program, and advances in the science of pulsed power that could revolutionize the next-generation facilities.

Summary form only given. In June of 1966, the Sandia National Laboratories pulsed power program consisted of about a half dozen engineers and technicians with a mission to design and build an intense bremsstrahlung X-ray source for weapons effects testing. A prototype accelerator, Hermes I at 3 to 4 MV, was built to test the pulsed power power for the eventual accelerator that was built, HERMES II. Since that time the Pulsed Power Sciences Center at Sandia has grown to more than 350 Sandians, contractors, and consultants supporting ICF, high energy density physics, shock physics, radiography, basic research, and defense programs. This talk will cover some of the Sandia accelerators and high voltage facilities designed and built (and some not built) from 1966 to now.

The paper briefly discusses the problem setup for a 1D code that offers wide functionality for simulating electrophysical facilities with different ponderomotive units (PU) intended for studies in the area of high energy density physics and materials properties. 1D magneto-hydrodynamic approximation is used, which also enables simulations of essentially two-dimensional units, such as disc explosive magnetic generators (DEMG), quasi-spherical liners etc. Examples of such simulations are given.

This chapter begins by introducing and defining the field of high-energy-density physics. It goes on to compare its domain with those of other areas of science and to survey the historical developments that led to the emergence of this field as a discipline. The chapter then identifies and discusses the regions within which various physical effects, such as Fermi degeneracy, become important. Brief introductions to inertial confinement fusion and to laboratory astrophysics at high energy density follow. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the connections between the present book and various other books, and some discussion of variables and notation.

The paper gives a brief description of ASTRAL code package for astrophysics simulations, including features in the implementation of basic physical processes and two tests. A sketch of the object code structure is provided.

Summary form only given. A short pulse TW-class laser, "Tomcat" (5 J, 5 ps) became recently functional at the Nevada Terawatt Facility. It was coupled to the "Zebra" TW pulsed power generator (1 MA, 100 ns), creating a unique tool for high energy density plasma physics research. The status of ongoing experiments and technical aspects of the coupling will be presented

This report summarizes presented results and discussions in the Working Group 3 at the Twelfth Advanced Accelerator Concepts Workshop in 2006. Presentations on varied topics, such as laser proton acceleration, novel radiation sources, active medium accelerators, and many others, are reviewed, and the status and future directions of research in these areas are summarized.

The Titan laser, designed to produce up to 600 J with pulses of 0.4-200 ps, has begun initial target shots. Coupled with a kJ long-pulse beam, Titan will support high-energy-density physics research at LLNL.

We present here a summary of some High Density Energy Physics experiments performed on the new facility LULI 2000. First, different flyer plate targets scheme have been tested loading shock in fused‐quartz plate. Temperature data along the Hugoniot curve have been obtained. Second, a strongly coupled and degenerated Aluminium plasma has been probed by X‐ray Thomson scattering. Compton shift from electrons has been observed in various density conditions.

For approximately the past 10 years, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has been successfully performing high energy density physics and material studies using the Z machine. The high demand for these shots has driven the need for an upgraded driver which supplies more load current, has a higher reliability, and requires less maintenance. The next generation machine, ZR, will address these needs by providing a more reliable mechanical and electrical design, increasing the load current by ~30%, and enabling a significantly higher shot rate than Z. As a consequence, however, hardware in ZR, and more specifically the insulator stack, will have to endure significantly larger static and dynamic mechanical forces and will experience them on a more frequent basis. The demand for experimental time on Z and the complexity of the experiments makes high reliability of the system crucial. This paper will examine the challenges of designing the upgraded ZR vacuum insulator stack which is capable of enduring loading that is complex and difficult to characterize.

The French Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA) began the construction of the Laser Megajoule (LMJ), a 240-beam laser facility, at the CEA laboratory CESTA near Bordeaux. The LMJ will be a cornerstone of the CEA "Programme Simulation", the French analog to the US Stockpile Stewardship Program. The LMJ is designed to deliver 2MJ of 0.35 μm light to targets for high energy density physics experiments and to ultimately obtain ignition and propagating burn with DT targets in the laboratory. The Scientific conception and system design was completed in 1999 and was followed by the Demonstration of an Engineering Prototype which was achieved in early 2003 with operation of one beam of the Ligne d'Integration Laser (LIL) at CESTA, with 9.5 kJ of UV light (0.35 μm) in less than 9 ns from a single laser beam. The Ralization phase of the LMJ facility was initiated in March of 2003 with the construction start of teh building and the target chamber. This paper will present results from the commissioning phase of the LIL program in 2003 and 2004. The activation and commissioning of the full 8 beamlines of LIL over the next 2 years will be part of determining the final specifications and integration and commissioning plans for the LMJ which is expected to demonstrate first light performance through 240 beams by 2010.

Overview. This document and the accompanying manuscripts summarize the technical accomplishments of our one-year LDRD-ER effort, a project that has since been incorporated into a larger LDRD-SI for FY05. The objective of this effort was to develop a predictive synthetic capability for the preparation of materials with cellular architectures (sub-micron pore or cell sizes and relative densities less than 10% of full density) not attainable by conventional methods. The ability to reliably prepare these nanocellular materials and control their bulk physical properties (e.g. mechanical strength) would be a considerable advance in the areas of porous materials and its impact would cut across many existing LLNL investments. One significant area related to the Laboratory mission that would benefit is the design of new materials for high energy density physics (HEDP) targets. Current synthetic techniques do not allow for the preparation of foams that meet all of the current and projected compositional and mechanical requirements of these experiments. This project focused on two main types of materials: inorganic sol-gel materials and nanocellular metal foams. The following sections describe the project goals for these two types of materials as well as the progress made towards these goals in FY04. These sections also providemore » context for the three publications that have been included in this final report.« less

This manual describes the input syntax to the ALEGRA radiation transport package. All input and output variables are defined, as well as all algorithmic controls. This manual describes the radiation input syntax for ALEGRA-HEDP. The ALEGRA manual[2] describes how to run the code and general input syntax. The ALEGRA-HEDP manual[13] describes the input for other physics used in high energy density physics simulations, as well as the opacity models used by this radiation package. An emission model, which is the lowest order radiation transport approximation, is also described in the ALEGRA-HEDP manual. This document is meant to be used with these other manuals.

The PATS is proposed as a possible means for efficient production of precision liners for Atlas [ 11. The Los Alamos National Laboratory’s High Energy Density Physics (HEDP) program supported an evaluation of this prospect over the last two years. The machine operations have been carefully mapped out, the status of the controllers and on-machine gauging evaluated, and dynamic error addressed. The PATS has been used to generate diamond tnmed liners with dimensions similar to those proposed for Atlas. In the mean time, Atlas liner criteria have become even more stringent. This paper will evaluate the known status of the PATS in view of current liner designs for Atlas.

High Energy Density Physics (HEDP) experiments play an important role in corroborating the improved physics codes that underlie LLNL's Stockpile Stewardship mission. Conducting these experiments, whether on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) or another national facility such as Omega, will require not only improvement in the diagnostics for measuring the experiment, but also detailed knowledge of the as-built target components and assemblies themselves. To assist in this effort, a defined set of well-known reference standards designed to represent a range of HEDP targets have been built and are being used to quantify the performance of different characterization techniques. Without the critical step of using reference standards for qualifying characterization tools there can be no verification of either commercial or internally-developed characterization techniques and thus an uncertainty in the input to the physics code models would exist.

There exists a certain type of high energy density physics experiment that requires a very precise, one or two-dimensional sinusoidal pattern to be imprinted on the surface of a thin disc-shaped specimen. Early discussions of potential fabrication processes included precision lapping using a substrate with the sinusoidal patterns, diamond turning, and various vapor deposition techniques. The process of coining, in which the sinusoidal pattern is pressed into the surface of a flat disc, was also proposed. Extensive discussions indicated that the low cost of coining and likelihood of success warranted this proof-of-principal investigation.

The report is intended to identify the compelling research opportunities of high intellectual value in high energy density physics. The opportunities for discovery include the broad scope of this highly interdisciplinary field that spans a wide range of physics areas including plasma physics, laser and particle beam physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics, atomic and molecular physics, materials science and condensed matter physics, intense radiation-matter interaction physics, fluid dynamics, and magnetohydrodynamics

Sandia's Z accelerator completed original construction in 1985 as PBFA II. The center portion was modified in 1996, converting from a high voltage to a high current configuration to drive z-pinch loads. The environments created have enabled critical experiments that address many Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) and High Energy Density Physics (HEDP) program needs. Z has since grown into a multifaceted workhorse facility. At more than 1000 shots after what was to be a provisional modification to assess scaling of z-pinch current, users are asking that Z be a stable, precision platform for a large number and variety of reliable, reproducible experiments. Much of Z was not optimized for z-pinch applications nor designed for the rigors of daily use at today's 18+ MA output level. This paper provides an overview of the Z Refurbishment (ZR) project, including performance criteria, timeline, test and integration strategies, and current status of the project.

High Energy Density Physics (HEDP) Experiments play an important role in corroborating the improved physics codes that underlie LLNL's Stockpile Stewardship mission. Conducting these experiments, whether on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) or another national facility such as Omega, will require not only improvement in the diagnostics for measuring the experiment, but also detailed knowledge of the as-built target components and assemblies themselves. To assist in this effort, a defined set of well-known reference standards designed to represent a range of HEDP targets have been built and are being used to quantify the performance of different characterization techniques. Without the critical step of using reference standards for qualifying characterization tools there can be no verification of either commercial or internallydeveloped characterization techniques and thus an uncertainty in the as-built-model for the initial condition to the physics codes.

Z-PINCH PHYSICS RADIATION FROM WIRE ARRAYS. This report describes the theory support of DTRA's Plasma Radiation Source (PRS) program carried out by NRL's Radiation Hydrodynamics Branch (Code 6720) in FY 2002. Included is work called for in DTRA MIPR 02-2045M - ''Plasma Radiation Theory Support'' and in DOE's Interagency Agreement DE-AI03-02SF22562 - ''Spectroscopic and Plasma Theory Support for Sandia National Laboratories High Energy Density Physics Campaign''. Some of this year's work was presented at the Dense Z-Pinches 5th International Conference held June 23-28 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A common theme of many of these presentations was a demonstration of the importance of correctly treating the radiation physics for simulating Plasma Radiation Source (PRS) load behavior and diagnosing load properties, e.g, stagnation temperatures and densities. These presentations are published in the AIP Conference Proceedings and, for reference, they are included in Section 1 of this report. Rather than describe each of these papers in the Executive Summary, they refer to the abstracts that accompany each paper. As a testament to the level of involvement and expertise that the Branch brings to DTRA as well as the general Z-Pinch community, eight first-authored presentations were contributed at this conference as well as a Plenary and an Invited Talk. The remaining four sections of this report discuss subjects either not presented at the conference or requiring more space than allotted in the Proceedings.