Fundamental Research in
High Energy Density Science

______

Committee on the Assessment of
High Energy Density Science

Board on Physics and Astronomy

Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences

Consensus Study Report

NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001

This study is based on work supported by Contract DE-EP0000026/89233121FNA400329 with the National Nuclear Security Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any agency or organization that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-69414-8
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-69414-0
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/26728
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023938868

Copies of this publication are available free of charge from

Board on Physics and Astronomy
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001

This publication is available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

Copyright 2023 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and National Academies Press and the graphical logos for each are all trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Fundamental Research in High Energy Density Science. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26728.

The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president.

The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.

The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.

Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.

Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.

Proceedings published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine chronicle the presentations and discussions at a workshop, symposium, or other event convened by the National Academies. The statements and opinions contained in proceedings are those of the participants and are not endorsed by other participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies.

Rapid Expert Consultations published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are authored by subject-matter experts on narrowly focused topics that can be supported by a body of evidence. The discussions contained in rapid expert consultations are considered those of the authors and do not contain policy recommendations. Rapid expert consultations are reviewed by the institution before release.

For information about other products and activities of the National Academies, please visit www.nationalacademies.org/about/whatwedo.

COMMITTEE ON THE ASSESSMENT OF HIGH ENERGY DENSITY SCIENCE

GIULIA GALLI (NAS), The University of Chicago, Co-Chair

RAYMOND JEANLOZ (NAS), University of California, Berkeley, Co-Chair

FÉLICIE ALBERT, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

DAVID CEPERLEY (NAS), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

GILBERT “RIP” W. COLLINS, University of Rochester

FRANKLIN J. DOLLAR, University of California, Irvine

NATHANIEL J. FISCH, Princeton University

STEPHANIE HANSEN, Sandia National Laboratories

RUSSELL J. HEMLEY (NAS), University of Illinois Chicago

CAROLYN C. KURANZ, University of Michigan

CHARLES F. MCMILLAN, Los Alamos National Laboratory (retired)

SEKAZI K. MTINGWA, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

DONNA STRICKLAND (NAS), University of Waterloo

Staff

CHRISTOPHER J. JONES, Senior Program Officer, Study Director

JAMES MYSKA, Senior Program Officer

NEERAJ P. GORKHALY, Associate Program Officer

AMISHA JINANDRA, Associate Program Officer

RADAKA LIGHTFOOT, Senior Financial Assistant (until April 2023)

LINDA WALKER, Program Coordinator

COLLEEN N. HARTMAN, Director, Board on Physics and Astronomy

BOARD ON PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

ANDREW LANKFORD, University of California, Irvine, Chair

MEIGAN ARONSON, University of British Columbia

WILLIAM BIALEK (NAS), Princeton University

JILL DAHLBURG, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (retired)

SALLY DAWSON, Brookhaven National Laboratory

LOUIS F. DIMAURO, The Ohio State University

CHUNG-PEI MA (NAS), University of California, Berkeley

ANDREW MILLIS (NAS), Columbia University

ANGELA VILLELA OLINTO (NAS), The University of Chicago

DAVID H. REITZE, California Institute of Technology

SUNIL SINHA, University of California, San Diego

EDWARD THOMAS, JR., Auburn University

RISA H. WECHSLER, Stanford University

WILLIAM A. ZAJC, Columbia University

Staff

COLLEEN N. HARTMAN, Director

CHRISTOPHER J. JONES, Senior Program Officer

GREGORY MACK, Senior Program Officer (until September 2022)

NEERAJ P. GORKHALY, Associate Program Officer

AMISHA JINANDRA, Associate Program Officer

RADAKA LIGHTFOOT, Senior Financial Assistant (until April 2023)

LINDA WALKER, Program Coordinator

Reviewers

This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Steven Zinkle, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Don Lamb, The University of Chicago. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.

Contents

PREFACE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 HIGH ENERGY DENSITY SCIENCE: UNDERSTANDING MATTER AT EXTREMES

Overview

Statement of Task and Implementation

Report Conclusions and Recommendations

Reader’s Guide and Note on Appendixes

2 RECENT PROGRESS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Physics and Materials: Matter Manipulation on the Quantum Scale

Origin and Evolution of the Solar System

Redefining Chemical Bonds

Technology and Societal Impact

Roles of Theory, Simulation, and Experiment

3 OPPORTUNITIES AND GRAND CHALLENGES

Overview

Grand Challenges and Opportunities for High Energy Density Science

Extreme Temperature and Pressure: Nuclear Fusion

Warm Dense Matter

Extreme High Energy Density Science: Beyond Warm Dense Matter and Nuclear Fusion

4 HUMAN CAPACITY

Universities and Educational Institutions

Current Support for Research and Education

National Laboratories and High Energy Density Facilities at Educational Institutions

Role of Industry

5 INTERNATIONAL ASPECTS OF HIGH ENERGY DENSITY SCIENCE

Overview

International High Energy Density Science Landscape

International Collaborations

International Workforce

International Scholars and the Importance of Protecting Sensitive Information

APPENDIXES

A Approaches to Inertial Confinement Fusion

B Tools of High Energy Density Science

C Examples of High Energy Density Experimental Facilities in the United States

D List of All Report Recommendations

E Committee Activities

F Requests Sent to National Laboratories

G Committee Biographies

Preface

High energy density (HED) science has emerged in recent years as a vibrant field at the confluence of astrophysics, condensed-matter and plasma physics, materials chemistry, high-pressure research, and planetary science. Spectacular breakthroughs in fundamental science and technology, in experimental and theoretical capabilities—and in potential impacts on society—motivate the present review of the field.

Through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, Congress directed the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to sponsor this study with an emphasis on basic science. Both NNSA and congressional staff reaffirmed this emphasis at the committee’s first meeting, which is reflected in the report. However, the committee celebrates the broader impact of the science on society at large, and on NNSA’s capabilities looking toward the future. We also acknowledge the interface between the science and considerations of national and international security, such as the proliferation of powerful, potentially harmful technologies.

As chairs, we benefited from working with a committee of unparalleled excellence and experience in world-class research and scientific leadership, in computational modeling and theory, and in fields ranging from high-intensity lasers to high-energy physics. Our work was almost entirely remote, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with only one in-person meeting between the start of the study in summer 2021 and completion of the report in summer 2022.

The committee converged on the following key themes: modern experimental and computational capabilities are outstanding, and there are opportunities for

significant advances; diversity in the workplace is crucial, and excellence is nurtured by providing a positive workplace environment for the most important resource of the field—its people; and there are huge opportunities for advances in science and technology, and providing substantial benefits to society. Inevitably, the committee was also confronted with the impact of current events on the science and research community, ranging from domestic matters (e.g., tinyurl.com/mu966zk6) to threats of nuclear war in international affairs.

The committee’s views were shaped by important documentation and testimonials from across the research community provided through virtual site visits with key HED laboratories in the United States, Europe and Asia (the latter to address the international assessments in our tasking), and virtual town hall meetings that were accessible to researchers and professional research societies. The vitality of the science was evident from the response we had at all levels, from students and young researchers to senior colleagues, and from technical staff to laboratory directors.

We thank all these colleagues for their helpful comments and for their patience and understanding with us throughout the study. Lastly, we would like to express our appreciation to the staff of the National Academies for their efforts to organize this activity and to keep us on track.

Giulia Galli and Raymond Jeanloz, Co-Chairs
Committee on the Assessment of High Energy Density Science