| Vacuum Laser
Acceleration Dr. Fred V. Hartemann Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Livermore, California |
| The focus of this project was to work on an experiment involving a 10 TW, 100 fs Titanium: Sapphire Laser, using chirped pulse amplification (CPA) to study the interaction of ultrahigh intensity optical radiation with relativistic electrons in a vacuum. The main processes studied were nonlinear ponderomotive scattering, where MeV electrons are produced within a very short interaction distance (typically, a few Rayleigh ranges) thus yielding acceleration gradients of a few GV/m, and ultrahigh intensity Compton Backscatter, where the laser radiation pressure is high enough to modify the spectral characteristics of the scattered light. Detailed comparisons with existing theoretical and computational models were made. |
| Computer
Simulation of MHD Instability in a Quasiaxial Stellarator Dr. Martha Redi Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey |
| Recently, large computers and sophisticated computer programs have been found to be valuable tools for design and investigation of plasmas in three-dimensional geometry. As part of a team effort for a PPPL stellarator design, the student assisted in applying the Max Planck Institute CAS3D code for analysis of a proposed quasiaxial stellarator using the National Energy Research Supercomputer Center (NERSC) computer system. This included some improvements to the graphical output of the low-n MHD modes. |
| Field-Reversed
Configuration Fusion Power Plant Designs Dr. John F. Santarius Fusion Technology Institute University of Wisconsin, Madison Madison, Wisconsin |
| The student involved with this project was part of a team of physicists and engineers performing the conceptual design of several systems of a fusion chamber. The design is based on a field-reversed configuration, one of the most promising of the so-called "alternate fusion concepts." The focus of the work was on: plasma power and particle balance, the tritium-breeding blanket, radiation shielding, activation, safety, and environment. The student's responsibilities were to convert a system code from the C programming language to Mathematica, writing Mathematica packages for various aspects of the design, and helping with literature searches. The project provided the opportunity to learn the overall features of a fusion power plant and contribute to some of the design details. |
| Beam
Diagnostics on a Glow Discharge Plasma Dr. Thomas P. Crowley Rensselear Polytechnic Institute Troy, New York |
| The overall goal of this project was to develop new diagnostics for low-temperature plasmas. A dc glow discharge experimental setup which had not been used in a number of years was used as the plasma. The student's first assignment was to get the glow discharge running again and to characterize some of its properties. Then the student was to implement either an ion or electron beam diagnostic, depending on how the project was progressing. The electron beam diagnostic will be used to measure plasma density, electric field, and potential. The ion beam diagnostic will use the heavy ion beam probe test facility in the lab to measure plasma potential. |
| Stability of
an Atmospheric Pressure Arc Dr. Stewart Zweben Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey |
| The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory has an experiment in progress that measures the properties of an arc plasma, which is a small-scale version of an arc furnace such as the ones used in industry for melting metals. The student assisted in taking data, developing diagnostics, and analyzing the data and behavior of the experiment. |
| Design of the
Quatos Experiment Professor Christopher Watts Auburn University Auburn, Alabama |
| The student aided in the design and prototyping of a novel stellarator based on quasi-helical symmetry. Work included use of CAD packages for machine design, prototype coil construction, and use of lab view software to sketch out the initial data acquisition and control systems. |