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
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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.
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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:
Michael R. Anastasio, Retired
Richard K. Appartaim, Florida A&M University
Farhat Beg, University of California, San Diego
Michael Donovan, Tau Systems
David “Dave” A. Hammer, Cornell University
Chaitan Khosla, Stanford University
Roberto C. Mancini, University of Nevada, Reno
Thomas Mehlhorn, Retired
Jorge J. Rocca, Colorado State University
Steven J. Rose, Imperial College
Bhuvana Srinivasan, Virginia Tech
Justin Wark, Trinity College Oxford
Eva Zurek, University at Buffalo
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
1 HIGH ENERGY DENSITY SCIENCE: UNDERSTANDING MATTER AT EXTREMES
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
Technology and Societal Impact
Roles of Theory, Simulation, and Experiment
3 OPPORTUNITIES AND GRAND CHALLENGES
Grand Challenges and Opportunities for High Energy Density Science
Extreme High Energy Density Science: Beyond Warm Dense Matter and Nuclear Fusion
Universities and Educational Institutions
Current Support for Research and Education
National Laboratories and High Energy Density Facilities at Educational Institutions
5 INTERNATIONAL ASPECTS OF HIGH ENERGY DENSITY SCIENCE
International High Energy Density Science Landscape
International Scholars and the Importance of Protecting Sensitive Information
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
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