Yuan Ping: Then and Now / 2013 Early Career Award Winner

WHAT DID THE 2013 EARLY CAREER AWARD ALLOW YOU TO DO?

Newswise — Due to its nearly limitless clean energy potential, fusion energy is a dream energy source for human society. The recent achievement of ignition at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) has boosted interests and investments in developing fusion energy for power plants. The Early Career Award program allowed me to join this marvelous effort ten years ago to study energy transport under these extreme conditions.

To reach the very hot and dense conditions required for fusion reactions, the NIF facility uses powerful laser beams to heat and compress materials. This process creates high-energy-density (HED) matter. During this complex process, energy can flow in many different ways and move to different parts of the HED system. Understanding the energy transport processes is key to minimizing energy losses and to maximizing the energy gain. 

There are various models to simulate the transport processes. Their accuracy directly affects our ability to predict the behaviors of HED matter. 

My research developed a suite of measurement methods. It also produced important data to benchmark energy transport models for proper control of energy losses. Some of these methods are also being used for other applications of HED physics. 

Based on the understanding of energy flow and division, I was able to work with a team to improve the energy conversion efficiency from the laser beams to the final hot fuel.

A very enjoyable part of this five-year project is to explore novel ideas. Our team makes interdisciplinary connections between HED physics and other fields, such as planetary science and astrophysics, to rationalize the energy flow inside the Earth’s core and astrophysical objects. 

The Early Career Award not only allowed me to make scientific discoveries, but also to build a workforce for the field by recruiting students and postdocs. The mentoring experience is extremely rewarding and has been beneficial for my career growth.

ABOUT:  

Yuan Ping is a scientist and Group Leader in the Physics Division at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

SUPPORTING THE DOE SC MISSION:

The Early Career Research Program provides financial support that is foundational to early career investigators, enabling them to define and direct independent research in areas important to DOE missions. The development of outstanding scientists and research leaders is of paramount importance to the Department of Energy Office of Science. By investing in the next generation of researchers, the Office of Science champions lifelong careers in discovery science. 

For more information, please go to the Early Career Research Program page.

THE 2013 PROJECT ABSTRACT: 

Title: Energy Transport in High‐Energy‐Density Matter 

Abstract 

This project aims to provide high‐quality data on critical energy transport properties of high‐ energy‐density (HED) matter. Transport processes, such as thermal and electrical conduction, radiation, viscosity, electron‐ion equilibration, and particle stopping determine the mechanisms and rates of energy transfer and redistribution within HED matter. These energy partition pathways must be properly diagnosed and understood in order to develop and benchmark next‐generation advanced models for extreme HED conditions such as those found in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). 

Energy transport not only affects capsule performance in ICF central hot‐spot ignition, but also is important in advanced ICF schemes including fast ignition and shock ignition. At present, very little data exist in the relevant regimes because these extreme conditions are difficult to create and to measure. 

A suite of recently developed novel X‐ray and optical techniques can now enable the challenging measurements, in particular, on thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity and viscosity. 

The data will also impact many other fields where HED science plays a crucial role, such as studies of geophysical phenomena, planetary formation, and astrophysical objects.

RESOURCES:

Y Ping, A Fernandez-Panella, H Sio, A Correa, R Shepherd, O Landen, RA London, PA Sterne, HD Whitley, D Fratanduono, TR Boehly, and GW Collins, “Differential heating: A versatile method for thermal conductivity measurements in high-energy-density matter”, Phys. Plasmas. 22, 092701 (2015). [DOI: 10.1063/1.4929797]

R Hua, J Kim, M Sherlock, M Bailly-Grandvaux, FN Beg, C McGuffey, S Wilks, H Wen, A Joglekar, W Mori, and Y Ping, “Self-generated magnetic and electric fields at a Mach-6 shock front by dual-angle proton radiography”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 215001 (2019). [DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.215001]

Y Ping, VA Smalyuk, P Amendt, R Tommasini, JE Field, S Khan, D Bennett, E Dewald, F Graziani, S Johnson, OL Landen, AG MacPhee, A Nikroo, J Pino, S Prisbrey, J Ralph, R Seugling, D Strozzi, RE Tipton, YM Wang, E Loomis, E Merritt, and D Montgomery, “Enhanced energy coupling for indirectly driven inertial confinement fusion”, Nature Physics 15, 138 (2019). [DOI: 10.1038/s41567-018-0331-5]

DOE Explains… offers straightforward explanations of key words and concepts in fundamental science. It also describes how these concepts apply to the work that the Department of Energy’s Office of Science conducts as it helps the United States excel in research across the scientific spectrum. For more information on fusion energy science, fusion reactions, high energy density plasmas, and DOE’s research in this area, please go to “DOE Explains...Fusion Energy Science,” “DOE Explains...Fusion Reactions,” and “DOE Explains...High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas.” 

Additional profiles of the Early Career Research Program award recipients can be found at the Early Career Program highlights page. 

The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit the Office of Science website.