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At least 19 records

Hands-on Introduction to Shock Physics (2020 Report, RR2020-IPD-1)

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) researchers have played key roles in the development of high-pressure science and shock physics since the 1950s. Central to the Laboratory’s experimental capability are multiple impact systems and explosive loading capabilities that span impact velocities in excess of 8 km/s. More recently, our efforts have taken us to 3rd and 4th generation light sources where these loading platforms are coupled to X-ray diagnostics that are now providing new insights into matter-at-extremes. As the availability of these new diagnostics and loading techniques increases, there is an increased need within the high pressure community for researchers with the knowledge base and expertise to use them. Few institutions offer any level of theoretical or experimental coursework designed to train students for work in the field of shock physics or dynamic compression science, and those that do cannot meet the current demand of the national laboratories.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Hybrid Particle Method for Computational Shock Physics

A long-standing area of research for Eulerian shock wave physics codes has been the treatment of strength and damage for materials. Here we present a method that will aid in the analysis of strength and failure in shock physics applications where excessive diffusion of critical variables can occur and control the solution outcome. Eulerian methods excel for large deformation simulations in general but are inaccurate in capturing structural behavior. Lagrangian methods provide better structural response, but finite element meshes can become tangled. Therefore, a technique for merging Lagrangian and Eulerian treatments of material response, within a single numerical framework, was implemented in the Multiple Component computational shock physics hydrocode. The capability is a Lagrangian/Eulerian Particle Method (LEPM) that uses particles to interface a Lagrangian treatment of material strength with a more traditional Eulerian treatment of the Equation of State (EOS). Lagrangian numerical methods avoid the advection diffusion found in Eulerian methods, which typically strongly affects strength constitutive law internal variables, such as equivalent plastic strain, porosity and/or damage. The Lagrangian capability enhances existing capabilities and permits accurate predictions of high rate, large deformation and/or shock of mechanical structures.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Empirical correlations between the function of entropy ( Z S ) and net artificial viscous work in a shock physics hydrocode

Entropy is a state variable that may be obtained from any thermodynamically complete equation of state (EOS). However, hydrocode calculations that output the entropy often contain numerical errors; this is not because of the EOS, but rather the solution techniques that are used in hydrocodes (especially Eulerian) such as convection, remapping, and artificial viscosity. Here, in this work, empirical correlations are investigated to reduce the errors in entropy without altering the solution techniques for the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy. Specifically, these correlations are developed for the function of entropy Z S , and they depend upon the net artificial viscous work, as determined via Sandia National Laboratories’ shock physics hydrocode CTH. These results are a continuation of a prior effort to implement the entropy-based CREST reactive burn model in CTH, and they are presented here to stimulate further interest from the shock physics community. Future work is planned to study higher-dimensional shock waves, shock wave interactions, and possible ties between the empirical correlations and a physical law.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research (JASPER): System Design Requirements: Trigger Unit

One of the key systems required for the Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research (JASPER) facility is the timely triggering of the Prompt System (PS). The Trigger Unit (TU) is the critical component that determines when the PS is to be triggered. There are two redundant TUs within the JASPER system, and each TU creates three redundant triggers for the PS. In this fashion, the Prompt Trigger System (PTS) can suffer the loss of one sensor, as well as the loss of one TU, and still function correctly. The TU is designed to receive signals from five separate sensors along the flight of the projectile on its way to the target. The TU uses three pairs of these detectors to create a trigger pulse at the appropriate time, based on the actual velocity of the projectile as it passes between the two sensors.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Shock physics and shadowgraphic measurements of laser-produced cerium plasmas

Shadowgraphic measurements are combined with theory on gas-dynamics to investigate the shock physics associated with nanosecond laser ablation of cerium metal targets. Time-resolved shadowgraphic imaging is performed to measure the propagation and attenuation of the laser-induced shockwave through air and argon atmospheres at various background pressures, where stronger shockwaves characterized by higher propagation velocities are observed for higher ablation laser irradiances and lower pressures. The Rankine-Hugoniot relations are also employed to estimate the pressure, temperature, density, and flow velocity of the shock-heated gas located immediately behind the shock front, predicting larger pressure ratios and higher temperatures for stronger laser-induced shockwaves.

42 ENGINEERING↗

SIMD Programming for the SMASH Shock Physics Code

Many modern CPUs that are available to the NNSA as mission computing resources support vector instruction sets. Making good use of vector instructions, referred to as “vectorization”, is often critical to getting the best performance from these CPUs. While other codes choose to rely on compiler auto-vectorization, the SMASH shock physics code chooses to leverage APIs for explicit vectorization. These APIs are similar to directly calling the CPU vendor’s vector intrinsics, with the additional benefit of being vendor-agnostic. This document explains what the SIMD APIs are and how to use them in developing SMASH.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Stochastic Modeling in a Multimaterial Continuum Mixture Shock Physics Code

Stochastic modelling approaches are presented to capture random effects at multiple time and length scales. Random processes that occur at the microscale produce nondeterministic effects at the macroscale. Here we present three stochastic modeling approaches that describe random processes at microscopic length scales and map these processes to the macroscopic length scale. The first stochastic modeling approach is based upon a particle based numerical technique to solve a Stochastic Differential Equation (SDE) using an arbitrary diffusion process to capture random processes at the microstructural level. The second approach prescribes a Probability Density Function (PDF) for the drift and diffusion of the random variable derived using the forward and backward Kolmogorov equations. This method requires mean and drift evolution PDF transport equations. The third approach is the coupling of multiple random variables which are dependent on each other. The relationship of the PDFs and a coupling function, known as a copula, produces a Joint Probability Density Function (JPDF). These stochastic modeling approaches are implemented into a Multiple Component (MC) shock physics computational code and used to model statistical fracture and reactive flow applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Final Scientific Report on: Magnetized Shock Physics and Convergent Flows

The objective of this project was to study magnetized shocks in plasmas using the Omega Laser Facility to drive a solid foil into a magnetized gas, which would be preionized by the x-rays from the laser-solid interaction. The MIFEDS (magneto-inertial fusion electrical discharge system) provided the magnetic field. Magnetized shocks are of interest in magneto-inertial fusion, such as MagLIF and magnetized spherical implosions with both direct and indirect drive, space physics, heliophysics, and astrophysics. In magneto-inertial fusion the shocks of interest are collisional and perpendicular to the magnetic field lines, since the magnetic field needs to be compressed. In space, the shocks of interest are typically collisionless, due to the low plasma density, and both perpendicular and parallel to the magnetic field. The marginally collisionless regime between these is also of interest in both laboratory, fusion, and space plasmas, but has barely been investigated.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Shock physics in warm dense matter: A quantum hydrodynamics perspective

Abstract Warm dense matter (WDM), an exotic, highly compressed state of matter between solid and plasma phases, is of high current interest, in particular for astrophysics and inertial confinement fusion. For the latter, in particular the propagation of compression shocks is crucial. The main unknown in the shock propagation in WDM is the behaviour of the electrons since they are governed by correlations, quantum and spin effects that need to be accounted for simultaneously. Here we describe the shock dynamics of the warm dense electron gas using a quantum hydrodynamic model. From the numerical hydrodynamic simulations, we observe that the quantum Bohm pressure induces shear force that weakens the formation and strength of the shock. In addition, the Bohm pressure induces an electron density response that takes the form of oscillations. This is confirmed by the theoretical analysis of the early stage of the shock formation. Our theoretical and numerical analyses allow us to identify characteristic dimensionless shock propagation parameters at which the effect of the Bohm force is important.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

A Hotspot’s Better Half: Non-Equilibrium Intra-Molecular Strain in Shock Physics

Shockwave interactions with a material’s microstructure localizes energy into hotspots, which act as nucleation sites for complex processes such as phase transformations and chemical reactions. To date, hotspots have been described via their temperature fields. Nonreactive, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of shock-induced pore collapse in a molecular crystal show that more energy is localized as potential energy (PE) than can be inferred from the temperature field and that PE localization persists beyond thermal diffusion. Furthermore, the origin of the PE hotspot is traced to large intramolecular strains, storing energy in modes readily available for chemical decomposition.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The shock physics of giant impacts: Key requirements for the equations of state

We discuss major challenges in modeling giant impacts between planetary bodies, focusing on the equations of state (EOS). During the giant impact stage of planet formation, rocky planets are melted and partially vaporized. However, most EOS models fail to reproduce experimental constraints on the thermodynamic properties of the major minerals over the required phase space. Here, we present an updated version of the widely-used ANEOS model that includes a user-defined heat capacity limit in the thermal free energy term. Our revised model for forsterite (Mg 2 SiO 4 ), a common proxy for the mantles of rocky planets, provides a better fit to material data over most of the phase space of giant impacts. We discuss the limitations of this model and the Tillotson equation of state, a commonly used alternative model.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The ultrafast pixel array camera system and its applications in high energy density physics

Diagnostics in high energy density physics, shock physics, and related fields are primarily driven by a need to record rapidly time-evolving signals in single-shot events. These measurements are often limited by channel count and signal degradation issues on cable links between the detector and digitizer. Here we present the Ultrafast Pixel Array Camera (UPAC), a compact and flexible detector readout system with 32 waveform-recording channels at up to 10 Gsample/s and 1.8 GHz analog bandwidth. The compact footprint allows the UPAC to be directly embedded in the detector environment. A key enabling technology is the PSEC4A chip, an eight-channel switch-capacitor array sampling device with up to 1056 samples/channel. The UPAC system includes a high-density input connector that can plug directly into an application-specific detector board, programmable control, and serial readout, with less than 5 W of power consumption in full operation. We present the UPAC design and characterization, including a measured timing resolution of ~20 ps or better on acquisitions of sub-nanosecond pulses with minimal system calibrations. Example applications of the UPAC are also shown to demonstrate operation of a solid-state streak camera, an ultrafast imaging array, and a neutron time-of-flight spectrometer.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Imaging velocity interferometer system for any reflector (VISAR) diagnostics for high energy density sciences

Two variants of optical imaging velocimetry, specifically the one-dimensional streaked line-imaging and the two-dimensional time-resolved area-imaging versions of the Velocity Interferometer System for Any Reflector (VISAR), have become important diagnostics in high energy density sciences, including inertial confinement fusion and dynamic compression of condensed matter. Here, we give a brief review of the historical development of these techniques, then describe the current implementations at major high energy density (HED) facilities worldwide, including the OMEGA Laser Facility and the National Ignition Facility. We illustrate the versatility and power of these techniques by reviewing diverse applications of imaging VISARs for gas-gun and laser-driven dynamic compression experiments for materials science, shock physics, condensed matter physics, chemical physics, plasma physics, planetary science and astronomy, as well as a broad range of HED experiments and laser-driven inertial confinement fusion research.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗