Pulsed Power Technology at Sandia National Laboratories

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 Steve Glover sfglove@sandia.gov
(505) 845-9620

The Science of Extreme Environments Research Institute (SEERI) provides undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to gain experience in the areas of radiation effects sciences, pulsed-power engineering, and high-energy density sciences. Students work directly with Sandia scientists and engineers to conduct research on a focused project.

Potential projects available for student interns include:

Modeling and simulation support of high-pressure shock physics or laboratory magnetic field applications
Modeling and simulation support of radiation transport applications using both discrete ordinate and Monte Carlo methods.
Code development and support for modeling and simulation activities.
Development or evaluation of a large magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code
Use of quantum molecular dynamics codes based on density functional theory
Modeling radiation interactions in semiconductor devices such as diodes, bipolar transistors, and field effect transistors
Development and application of a broad range of experimental tools to assess the performance of materials nd electronics in severe radiation environments
Dynamic consolidation of powders

Past SEERI student projects include:

Radiation effects studies with ion photon emission microscopy
Modeling a magnetically confined plasma
Photonic Displacement Interferometry (PDI)
Plutonium containment in the Z machine
Spectral unfolding using processed pinhole images
Implementation of new transport methods in a developing radiation transport code.
Implementation of new features in a production radiation transport code.

The learning experience is supplemented with technical talks and tours to show students the broad range of engineering and scientific disciplines represented at Sandia.

Student Interns are provided the opportunity to present their work to their peers and the Sandia scientific community at the end of their summer term. In some cases students are provided the opportunity to present their work at professional conferences.

Greatest strengths of SEERI program according to participating student interns:

Flexible research opportunities
Opportunity to do challenging and interesting work that contributes to Sandia’s research program
The presence of someone to talk with about my field of career opportunities
Possibility of financial support for further education
Ability to put classroom theory into workplace use
Information on different projects that are occurring around Sandia that I didn’t know of otherwise
Hands-on research and data collection experience
Opportunity to learn theoretical background and see it in practice
Real-world, mechanical engineering, and business experience

Pulsed Power Technology & Radiation Effects Science

Science of Extreme Environments Research Institute (SEERI)

Pulsed Power Technology &
Radiation Effects Science