HIGH ENERGY DENSITY LABORATORY PLASMAS

30. High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas Maximum Phase I Award Amount: $200,000 Maximum Phase II Award Amount: $1,100,000 Accepting SBIR Phase I Applications: YES Accepting STTR Phase I Applications: YES High-energy-density laboratory plasma (HEDLP) physics is the study of ionized matter at extremely high density and temperature, specifically when matter is heated and compressed to a point that the stored energy in the matter reaches approximately 100 billion Joules per cubic meter (the energy density of a hydrogen molecule). This corresponds to a pressure of approximately 1 million atmospheres or 1 Mbar. Grant applications are sought in the following subtopics relevant to HEDLP and IFE: a. High-intensity Short-pulse Laser Technologies Advances in HEDLP require access to ultrafast, high intensity lasers with powers typically > 100 TW. However, such high intensity lasers are presently limited to repetition rates of < 10 Hz. Technical solutions that will enable the generation of high energy (joule-level) laser pulses that can be focused to highly relativistic intensities at high repetition rate (100-1000 Hz). Important performance parameters include ultra-high contrast and good focusability. Specific areas of interest include but are not limited to: spatial and temporal contrast diagnostics, Measuring and controlling the timing of multiple laser and particle beams with femtosecond accuracy, wavelength and beam quality for lasers, brightness for lasers, pulse shaping, high damage threshold gratings, non-destructive characterization of optics for high-average-power (HAP) and high-peak-power (HPP) applications, improved polishing processes for nonlinear optics, and broadband coatings. Questions Contact: Kramer Akli, Kramer.akli@science.doe.gov b. Ultra-fast Detectors for HED Applications High speed detectors that record electromagnetic radiation over a wide frequency range, from the visible to the x-ray regions of the EM spectrum in both one dimensional and two-dimensional recording media will advance many HED applications. Specific areas of interest include but are not limited to: sub-ns Detector Systems for XFEL and synchrotron Applications, framing cameras for study of plasmas and shock-driven materials dynamics, and sub-ns framing cameras with high quantum efficiency for photon energies >20keV. Questions Contact: Kramer Akli, Kramer.akli@science.doe.gov c. Other In addition to the specific subtopics listed above, the Department invites grant applications in other areas of laser technologies that address the recommendations in the 2017 National Academy of Sciences report Opportunities in Intense Ultrafast Lasers: Reaching for the Brightest Light. Questions Contact: Kramer Akli, Kramer.akli@science.doe.gov References: 1. Fusion Energy Science Advisory Committee. Advancing the Science of High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas. Report of the High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas Panel of the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee, U.S. Department of Energy, p.184, 2009, https://science.osti.gov/-/media/fes/fesac/pdf/2009/Fesac_hed_lp_report.pdf 2. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Opportunities in Intense Ultrafast Lasers: Reaching for the Brightest Light Report. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, p. 346, ISBN: 978-0-309-46769-8, 2018, http://nap.edu/24939