High-Energy-Density Physics Division

 

The High-Energy-Density Physics (HEDP) Division at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center is focusing on studying the most extreme states of matter produced in laboratories. Those states can provide the conditions required for thermonuclear fusion or mimic the conditions that exist in various astrophysical phenomena, such as those in solar and giant-planet interiors.

The Division represents a research and education hub for generating exceptional experimental and theoretical PhDs while, at the same time, addressing important issues of significance to the National Nuclear Security Administration, Fusion Energy Sciences, and the National Laboratories. Experiments are primarily conducted at the OMEGA laser, the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and the Z facility.

The Division’s PhD programs involve the development and application of advanced plasma diagnostics and state-of-the-art experimental platforms, as well as theoretical modeling and numerical simulations for exploring a broad range of fundamental physics in the areas of HEDP, Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), and laboratory astrophysics.

The Division has collaborations with numerous academic institutions and national laboratories. In addition, the Division has recently expanded its activities into the area of Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) and is now collaborating with a few IFE private companies.

The Division’s ultimate mission is to train and educate students by developing and using diagnostics and experimental platforms, at an HEDP/ICF facility, to study an important physics problem, and to learn how to run a big code in support of the experimental activities.