Time-exposure photograph of electrical flashover arcs produced over the surface of the water in the accelerator tank as a byproduct of Z operation. These flashovers are much like strokes of lightning
Contact Information
For Radiation Effects please contact Tom Laub
twlaub@sandia.gov
(505) 844-9142
For Pulsed Power please contact Ken Struve kwstruv@sandia.gov
(505) 845-7483
Related links
Sandia Labs Employment for Student Programs
Center for Cyber Defenders Program
I am an undergraduate student at the University of California, San Diego (Sixth College) working towards a B.S. in General Physics. During my 2010 Internship at Sandia National Laboratories I had the opportunity to work in organization 1344 (Radiation Effects Research). There I developed and updated programs to manipulate and analyze XYCE circuit simulation models as part of the QASPR effort (Qualification Alternatives to the Sandia Pulsed Reactor). Through this program I had the chance to apply classroom knowledge and further my skills in the area of computer programming. My experience at Sandia helped me to focus my academic interests and realize real world applications.
I am currently going into my Senior year at Arizona State University, and will be finishing my Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering in the spring. Some of my interests in electronics are Radiation Effects, Analog Circuit Design, and Microcontrollers. I plan on attending Grad School for at least a Master’s Degree after I graduate, and probably a PhD sometime in the future.
This was my first summer working at Sandia, and I have enjoyed the experiences and exposure to different things I’ve received. While at Sandia, I have worked with many different things, from lasers to electron beam guns, and have gotten a greater understanding of how research is performed. I’ve learned in much more detail how understanding semiconductor device physics is extremely important in the understanding of the effects the environment can have on a transistor and the larger circuitry. The amount of knowledge and experience gained here will be instrumental in fulfilling my Graduate School goals. All of the people I have met here are very friendly and have made the summer a great internship experience.
My name is Jennifer Ellis and I am an undergraduate at the University of Texas currently working towards bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Astronomy. I am fascinated by the universe and inner workings of celestial bodies but crave a more hands on, experimental approach than is traditionally possible in the field of astronomy. This has driven me towards the small, specialized field of Laboratory Astrophysics, which requires High Energy Density capabilities rarely accessible in a university setting. I worked on a joint project between SNL and UT that is utilizing the Z-Machine to recreate the photospheric conditions of white dwarf stars. The aim is to extensively study emission spectra in certain temperature and density regimes in an effort to improve the modeling of these stars. My summer with Sandia and the SEERI program has been an invaluable opportunity that would not have been available to me in a university laboratory.
My name is Laura Johnson and in August 2010, I will start my first year as a graduate student at Cornell University in the Plasma Physics Department. This was my second internship at Sandia and this summer I worked in the High Energy Density Physics Theory Department. During my internship, I implemented various theories to calculate thermal conductivities of dense hydrogen in conditions where there is currently no experimental data. My first internship at Sandia was three years ago in a clerical position. I recently received my undergraduate degree from Hendrix College in Conway, AR in Physics, and did research at Hendrix during the summers of 2007 and 2008 on the production rate of neutrino induced electron-positron pair creation.
I have a degree in Applied Mathematics from UCLA and am currently a graduate student at Vanderbilt University in the Electrical Engineering department, Radiation Effects and Reliability (RER) group. Active areas of research focus on semiconductor device physics, semiconductor device reliability, modeling carrier transport mechanisms and the impact of particle track structure on single event effects.
My current work at Sandia involves the characterization of interface trap formation on SONOS memory during device operation. The work includes the development of automated, stable test methods involving multi-level, variable frequency charge pumping techniques to study defect densities at the different insulating layer interfaces. Additionally, we hope to study the impact of gamma irradiation on reliability for these types of memories.
I'm Sean Lewis and I just finished my first year of graduate work in physics at the University of Texas at Austin. Originally I am from Bloomington Indiana, where I also obtained Batchelors degrees in Physics and Math from Indiana University. Now I aim to obtain a doctorate in plasma physics with Roger Bengtson and Todd Ditmire at UT. Here at Sandia, I am working with Ken Struve and Brian Stultzfus on the pulsed power driver for the cluster fusion experiment that I will be working on for the next several years. This is my first time working at Sandia, and I am finding it to be a dynamic and fascinating place to learn about unique research.
My name is Tommy Holschuh and I will be a sophomore undergraduate student at Oregon State University this upcoming fall. I am pursuing a degree in Nuclear Engineering. I have worked at Sandia National Laboratories for several years. This is my fourth summer at Sandia, in addition to two school years.
I have worked in Org. 01658 (Fusion Technology Programs) for the entire time while here at Sandia. This summer, I have been doing torque and force calculations with Opera 3D to analyze the attachment points of Test Blanket Modules onto the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.
Thomas Holschuh Publications
I have one year left for my undergraduate degree in Nuclear Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. I am working this summer with the further development of the SCEPTRE code in radiation transport, analyzing the advantages and specific weaknesses of using different error norms in various transport scenarios. This experience has already offered a great insight to the practical usage of theoretical approaches and I know that it will much more throughout my stay here.
My name is Caleb Waugh and I am a second year graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. My interests are primary in plasma physics and fusion technologies with potential energy applications. Pursuant to my interests in energy and fusion, I am currently finishing a master’s degree in energy policy and energy economics with the MIT Technology and Policy Program and in the fall will begin a PhD in plasma physics with Dr. Richard Petrasso’s ICF group. Prior to attending MIT I completed degrees in Electrical Engineering and Philosophy at Brigham Young University.
As an intern for the last four summers at Sandia, I had the privilege of working with Dr. Ken Struve in Org. 1676 (Advanced Accelerator Physics) and Org. 1670 (High Energy Density Physics) supporting various projects related to the Z-Machine and fusion. During my first internship in 2007 I was responsible for programming a control system for the automatic debubbling subsystem as part of the Z Refurbishment project. While in my second internship in 2008, I was tasked with developing a transmission-line circuit model of the refurbished Z-Machine using Electro, Coulomb, Ampere, and Bertha codes. In 2009 and 2010, I worked on a LDRD project in collaboration with the University of Texas to develop a pulsed-power driver for cluster fusion experiments. In addition to opening numerous doors and providing invaluable work experience, interning at Sandia has given me lasting friendships and fond memories while working in a challenging but exhilarating environment.
I am currently working on a masters degree in Nuclear Engineering at the University of New Mexico and graduated with a bachelors degree in Nuclear Engineering from UNM in May 2008. I have been a student intern at Sandia since March 2008. My work currently consists of completing my thesis, which is the Uncertainty Analysis of a Critical Experiment and linking the sensitivity analysis with the sensitivities produced from TSUNAMI-3D. I am also working on becoming a qualified criticality safety engineer. The organization that I work in has really given me a great and unique opportunity and I could not imagine working in a better place.
I am an undergraduate student from the University of Michigan and am currently working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Physics with an interest in optics. This was my first year at Sandia National Laboratories. My job was working on code development for ITS. I had previously worked with MCNP and Fortran doing research on gamma radiation detection at my university. This experience with transport codes and Fortran programming proved invaluable. My work included adding volume outputs and higher order nodes to ITS’s finite element files along with a number of minor changes. These changes helped increase the accuracy of data transferred from ITS to finite element codes. It proved to be a great opportunity that has given me great practical work experience and programming experience. In addition, I was able to see and hear about exciting research taking place at Sandia through SEERI. It was a great experience that I would recommend for anyone.
I am currently finishing my undergraduate degree in physics at the University of Pennsylvania. This past summer was my first summer working at Sandia National Laboratories, and it was my first research experience outside of college laboratories. I was able to get hands on experience in the lab that complemented what I have learned in class. Overall, it was a great learning experience that I consider to be as valuable as the classroom in my education.
Hi my name is Robert Wills and I am a graduate student at UC Berkeley in Engineering Physics. My interests include plasma physics and condensed matter physics. I have research background in radiation detection and electromagnetic modeling. At UC Berkeley I worked with radiation detectors as a part of a group researching Compton Imaging Radiation detection, a method that utilizes two detectors to narrow the range of space from which radiation is being emitted. This research was focused at non-proliferation applications. My research at Sandia focused on modeling a plasma in finite element electromagnetic code for electromagnetic analysis of plasma facing components in the ITER tokomak reactor. I also investigated the effects of using ferritic materials in the plasma facing components of ITER. I am now continuing my undergraduate studies and seeking a new research position.
I am a doctoral candidate in Nuclear Engineering at the University of New Mexico with a research focus in radiation transport modeling. Participation in the SEERI program has led me to valuable insights in electron transport modeling and large-scale computing. My interactions with highly skilled staff members has been enlightening, and it has been a pleasure working with them. I am looking forward to continuing this avenue of research within the SEERI framework in the future.
For four years, I worked and researched with the ITS code development team while pursuing a MS in Medical Physics and a PhD in Nuclear Engineering at the University of New Mexico. I joined this team with a modest background in programming and computer science. My previous work was primarily experimental, ranging from neutron detection at Sandia’s Z-Machine, to microgravity fluid tests onboard NASA’s KC-135. Thanks to the ITS team, I learned how to perform computational research, how to develop and test software as part of a team, and how to use the Monte Carlo simulation method, even beyond the scope of particle transport. Specifically, I added Doppler broadening to the suite of photon physics, developed various methods to simulate Mott inelastic scattering for electrons, and created a technique for simulating adjoint electron transport problems with continuous energy tracking. Upon completion of my graduate studies, I was hired at Sandia National Laboratories’ Radiation Metrology Laboratory.
I am currently finishing my MS degree in nuclear engineering at Texas A&M University with the intent to pursue my PhD in the same field. I completed my undergraduate degree also in nuclear engineering from TAMU, so it was logical to continue my education at the same institution. During my undergraduate career I completed three internships at SNL in the advanced nuclear concepts group specifically related to analysis of space reactor applications. This work spurred my interest in particle transport and computation methods
My work this past summer was somewhat related to my thesis work involving applying long characteristic methods in space and time to particle transport problems. This work involved analyzing the scalability and parallel efficiency of the SCEPTRE transport code. Specifically, I looked at the scalability and theoretical parallel efficiency of the parallel prefix transport solver implemented by Shawn Pautz compared to other solver methods. For this analysis I did runs on the SNL Thunderbird system as well as the local clusters for the radiation transport group.
I gained a great deal of knowledge of parallel systems and the applicability and associated difficulties of applying different transport solver methods on these systems while at this internship. This knowledge has not only enhanced my master’s experience but has also opened my mind to new ideas for future research.