Summary
- Major: Physics Engineering
- Faculty Mentor: Dr. Thomas White
- Research Topic: Investigating the Electron-Ion Equilibration Rates in Laser-Excited Metals
- New Scholar: 2022 Cohort
- Graduating with a Baccalaureate Degree: 2024
Abstract
In December 2022, the National Ignition Facility made history by achieving controlled fusion for the first time. The goal of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is to produce fusion power, and as materials are compressed and heated in the fusion process, they pass through a state of matter called warm dense matter (WDM). WDM is too hot to be described by solid matter physics and too dense to be accurately described by plasma physics. Consequently, the behavior of electrons and ions within WDM are ill defined, and thus an obstacle to repeat ICF success. Through laser-excitation, a process that uses ultrafast lasers to heat materials, WDM can be recreated in a laboratory setting. The resulting WDM exists in a non-equilibrium state, meaning the electrons are much hotter than the ions. By studying laser-excited materials, scientists can learn more about the quantum mechanical interactions between the electrons and ions in WDM. Understanding these interactions can be used to validate state-of-the-art models and simulations of fusion energy. This study analyzes the electron-ion equilibration rates in laser-excited silver, copper and titanium. We will fit a two-temperature model to our experimental data to determine the electron-ion equilibration rates in each metal. The results of this research will provide important information about the behavior of electrons and ions within laser-excited materials as they pass through the warm dense phase, which has important implications for the future of fusion.