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Lasers, Z-Pinches, and Nuclear Weapons: the Importance of Plasma Physics to the National Nuclear Security Administration

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Lasers, Z-Pinches, and Nuclear Weapons: the Importance of Plasma Physics to the National Nuclear Security Administration Lasers, Z-Pinches, and Nuclear Weapons: The Importance of Plasma Physics to the National Nuclear Security Administration Dr. Sarah L. Nelson Office of Experimental Sciences (on detail to NA-19) November 18, 2020 Michigan Institute for Plasma Science and Engineering (MIPSE) Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 1 About the Speaker A BIG thank you to: . HQ – Njema Frazier, Bryan Sims, Paul Davis . LLNL – Alan Wan, John Edwards, Heather Whitley . LANL – Kim Scott, Brian Albright, Sean Finnegan . SNL – Dan Sinars, Greg Rochau, Mike Cuneo, Matt Gomez . LLE – probably someone I missed… . UM and MSU, Prof. Kushner, Julia Falkovitch-Khain, for the gracious invitation and for the multiple reminders… Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 2 About the Speaker . Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from University of California, Santa Barbara (w/Distinction) . PhD in Nuclear Chemistry from University of California, Berkeley . Roger Batzel Postdoctoral Fellow at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory . Staff Scientist with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory . Joined NNSA in 2015 • Deputy Director of NA-113, Office of Experimental Sciences • On detail to NA-19, Ofc. Of Production Modernization This talk is unclassified. DC - SLN Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 3 Research Background, Nuclear Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 4 Research Background, Nuclear + Pulsed Power - Collection of Debris Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 5 Research Background, Nuclear + Pulsed Power, con’t. - Collection of Debris Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 6 Research Background, Nuclear + Pulsed Power, con’t. - Collection of Debris Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 7 OK great, but what does this have to do with Stockpile Stewardship? or – why I’m really “here” today… Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 8 Birth of Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship . Oct 1991 Soviet Secretary General Mikhail Gorbachev declared moratorium on Soviet nuclear weapons tests . 1992 President George H. W. Bush declared moratorium on U.S. nuclear weapons tests . 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty signed but not ratified . In the 1990s, the Department of Energy created the science-based Stockpile Stewardship Program to maintain the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. nuclear deterrent without full-scale testing Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 9 The Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) . SSP is designed to increase our confidence in the assessment of the safety, security and reliability of the stockpile . Provides the technical basis to inform the President as to the state of the U.S. deterrent and whether there is a technical need to resume nuclear testing . Over the past decade, U.S. policy has included: . No nuclear testing (since September 1992) . No new weapon development (no new weapons produced since 1991) . Limited production capability for re-manufacturing Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 10 What is Stockpile Stewardship? (Think - High-End Sports Car) Safe, secure, and effective? 2020 Alfa Romeo 6C photo – autoevolution.com Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 11 Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 12 A major focus area for the NNSA is in understanding the properties of high energy density plasmas (HEDP) . High energy density (HED) plasmas are defined as media with energy density greater than 0.1 trillion J/cubic meter—more than 20x the pressure needed to make a diamond . Achieving the extreme states of matter relevant to understanding nuclear weapons is made NIF possible with HED facilities such as Omega, Z, and NIF . Why? Z Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 13 Because - the majority of the yield of a nuclear weapon occurs in the HED state Primary phase Energy transfer Super-critical assembly X-rays transfer energy from Primary energy production primary to secondary Secondary phase HE phase Nuclear Phase High explosive creates Secondary produces energy, supercritical assembly (UGTs, NIF, Z, Omega) explosion and radiation Pre-nuclear phase (UGTs, sub-crits, DARHT, JASPER, etc.) Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 14 To maintain deterrence the US must maintain preeminence in weapon Science, Technology, & Engineering ST&E delivers validated physics modeling capabilities in support of Advanced Simulation Capability stockpile missions: • Improve and modernize assessment and certification of US stockpile National Ignition • Enable future life-extension Facility options • Anticipate and respond to technical surprises and technology advances Advanced radiography (DARHT ) • Recruit, train, and retain world- class next-generation stewards Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 15 So how do you do that? I’m with the Federal Government, I’m here to help. Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 16 DOE/NNSA Mission Pillars and Cross-cutting Capabilities Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 17 DOE/NNSA Leadership Secretary, DOE Confirmed – December 2, 2019 Acting Under Secretary for Nuclear Security & Acting Administrator, NNSA Confirmed - May 23, 2019 (as Deputy) Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs, NNSA Confirmed – Sept. 18, 2018 Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 18 Stockpile Research, Technology, and Engineering (SRT&E) Certifying the Stockpile – Preparing for the Future Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Development Delivers technology solutions that Delivers modern technologies facilitate surety, surveillance, necessary to enhance secure survivability, and testing throughout the manufacturing capabilities and weapon lifecycle to provide timely support to critical needs of the stockpile Inertial Confinement Fusion Assessment Science Delivers high energy density Delivers weapons-relevant data, physics platforms to access models, methods and extreme conditions essential to capabilities that increase assessing weapons confidence in annual assessments and certification of refurbished weapons, explore Advanced Simulation and future LEP options, and facilitate Computing Significant Finding Investigations Delivers computer platforms and closure for Nuclear Explosives integrated codes with models and Package issues algorithms to facilitate assessment of weapon systems Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 19 Five Critical Elements of Science-Based Stewardship ENABLE QUANTIFY PROVIDE BUILD & ENSURE STOCKPILE WEAPONS SCIENTIFIC MAINTAIN STEWARDSHIP MISSIONS PHENOMENA DETERRENCE EXPERIMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY TOOLS FOR THE COMPLEX Support for LEPs Thermonuclear Burn Weapons Physics Facilities Process Options for stockpile Radiation Transport Peer-review Targets Improvement modernization Radiation Exploration of extreme Optics Facility Diversity pressure/temp/density Scientific Hydrodynamics Diagnostics Recruitment, basis/certification/ Advanced R&D training, and Material, Plasma, and platforms qualification for new Nuclear Properties retention of technologies and Multiple approaches personnel Outputs, Environments to future multi-MJ reused components & Effects/ Nuclear yield Strong Academic pipeline Resolution of key Survivability Advanced Technology weapons performance R&D issues Predictive physics Test readiness models for design codes Uncertainty Office of Experimental SciencesQuantification | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 20 Science Supporting Weapons Activities Life Extension and Knowledge Base Broad National Enduring Stockpile Responsiveness and Infrastructure Security Mission • Advances • Explores initial • Preserves the • Leverages scientific concepts to U.S. core resources to methods for enable life- intellectual and address emerging nuclear weapons extension technical nuclear security assessments modifications to competencies in threats • Develops the stockpile nuclear weapons • Supports the advanced • Researches and • Recruits and assessment of capabilities to develops new trains new foreign and enable the technologies for generation of adversary nuclear resolution of future stockpile scientists, weapons for significant finding needs engineers, and intelligence investigations technicians activities Office of Experimental Sciences | Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation 21 Weapons Activities & SRT&E Secure Information Legacy Transportation Technology and Contractor Defense Nuclear Asset Cybersecurity Pensions Security 3% 2% 1% 7% Dr. Mark C. Anderson, SES Assistant Deputy Research, Development, Administrator for Stockpile Stockpile Test and Evaluation Research, Technology, and Management (non-OES) Engineering 34% 10% Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (OES) 9% Infrastructure and Operations Production 21% Modernization Dr. Njema J. Frazier, SES 13% Director,
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