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The Department of Energy is a key agency, in some fields the key agency, dedicated to maintaining the leadership of the US in fundamental research. The system of scientists supported at national laboratories such as Sandia, and universities, together with centers for major undertakings, has been very successful. As the nation faces its future, this framework provides the best model for maintaining scientific and technical vitality and leadership into the 21st Century. Sandia conducts its fundamental science projects in the following general areas:
- Scientifically Tailored Materials. This work combines Sandia's expertise and capabilities in the areas of solid-state sciences, advanced atomic-level diagnostics and materials synthesis and processing to produce new classes of tailored materials for critical energy and defense needs and for industrial applications.
- Semiconductor Physics and Materials Science. Work in this area combines molecular beam epitaxy, chemical vapor deposition, ultra-clean rooms, device fabrication, implanters, first-principles theory, simulations and broad characterization capabilities to produce novel materials and concepts for microelectronics and optoelectronics applications.
- Combustion Science. Computational methods and tools are developed to perform computer simulations of materials and materials processing ranging from atoms to microstructures, and to the continuum. These tools are used in analysis of experiments, ranging from diffuse x-ray and neutron scattering results to the modeling of alloy processing.
- Surface and Interface Science. This effort combines advanced spectroscopies and microscopies and first principles theory to understand the atomic-level processes that control the structural, chemical and electronic properties of surfaces and interfaces.
- Vision Science. This research deals with visual perception, multispectral image classification and the development of pattern-recognition algorithms.
- Geophysical, geochemistry, and geomechanics. Research at rock mechanics laboratories and broad characterization and simulation capabilities highlight this area. Sandia’s geosciences staff provides basic tools and knowledge to improve effectiveness in reservoir characterization, repository design, and resource extraction.
- High Power, Pulsed Power Science. This involves accelerators and rep machines, inertial confinement fusion, high-energy plasma physics, laser and atomic physics, and vacuum power flow. The low cost and high efficiency of the pulsed-power approach to inertial fusion have permitted unique megajoule-class facilities to be constructed and used for inertial confinement fusion research. Labs magnetic fusion projects support both a long-term, nationally coordinated fusion power program and US participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor design project.
- Computer Science and Mathematics. Research deals with computer architecture, parallel computational sciences, numerical mathematics, algorithms and discrete mathematics, and development and application of advanced computational techniques using Paragon and CRAY machines. Sandia's Massively Parallel Computing Research Laboratory is a leader in development of massively parallel computing algorithms and applications. The laboratory currently houses the world’s fastest parallel processing computer and leads in development of algorithms for large-scale engineering and industrial problems. There also is extensive work by an interdisciplinary group dedicated to helping industry with problems in chemistry, materials, and biochemical modeling.
- Engineering Sciences. Here a broad range of experimental and theoretical capabilities supports Sandia's fundamental research in fluid dynamics, thermal sciences, aerodynamics, and solid mechanics.
Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy.
Media contact:
Larry Perrine, lgperri@sandia.gov (505) 845-8511
Last modified: August 6, 1997
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