Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

About the National Science and Technology Council

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) was established by Executive Order

on November 23, 1993. This cabinet-level council is the principal means by which the

President coordinates science, space, and technology policies across the Federal

Government. NSTC acts as a virtual agency for science and technology to coordinate

diverse paths of the Federal research and development enterprise.

An important objective of the NSTC is the establishment of clear national goals for Federal

science and technology investments in areas ranging from information technologies and

health research to improving transportation systems and strengthening fundamental

research. The Council prepares research and development strategies that are coordinated

across the Federal agencies to form a comprehensive investment package aimed at

accomplishing multiple national goals. Please call the NSTC Executive Secretariat at

202-456-6101 to obtain additional information regarding the NSTC, or see

http://www.ostp.gov/nstc/html/NSTC_Home.html.

About the Office of Science and Technology Policy

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) was established by the National

Science and Technology Policy, Organization and Priorities Act of 1976. OSTP’s responsibilities

include advising the President in policy formulation and budget development on all questions

in which S&T are important elements; articulating the President’s S&T policies and programs;

and fostering strong partnerships among Federal, state and local governments, and the

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information, contact the Office of Science and Technology Policy at (202) 395-7347 (voice),

(202) 456-6027 (fax) or see our web site at www.ostp.gov.

About this Report

This report, prepared by the interagency Task Force on High Energy Density Physics under

the auspices of the Interagency Working Group on the Physics of the Universe, identifies

the needs for improving Federal stewardship of specific aspects of high energy density

physics, particularly the study of high energy density plasmas in the laboratory, and

strengthening university activities in this latter discipline. The report articulates how

HEDP fits into the portfolio of federally funded missions and includes agency actions to be

taken that are necessary to further this area of study consistent with Federal priorities and

plans, while being responsive to the needs of the scientific community.

Acknowledgements

The task force would like to thank Cris Barnes, Julie Carruthers, Peter Lincoln, Uday

Varadarajan, and Yolanda White for their assistance in the preparation of this report.
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Appendix A. TF-HEDP Charter

Appendix B. The Interagency Task Force on HEDP

Appendix C. Federally Supported Research and Capabilites Relevant to HEDP

Appendix D. Cross-Cutting Interests in HEDP

Appendix E. NNSA User Facility Programs

Acronym List

Executive Summary ......................................................................................... 1

I. Introduction .....................................................................................................3

II. Summary of Previous Reports ............................................................................5

III. Frontiers for Discovery in HEDP Report...............................................................9

IV. Findings ......................................................................................................... 11

V. Agency Actions............................................................................................... 23

VI. Appendices .................................................................................................... 27
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

High energy density physics (HEDP) – the study of matter subject to extreme conditions of

temperature and density – cuts across many traditional fields of physical science, including

astrophysics, cosmology, nuclear physics, and plasma science. Research in HEDP is

necessary to accomplish specific scientific and national security missions of several Federal

agencies. The broad range of phenomena relevant to HEDP and the corresponding degree

to which HEDP touches established fields of science – such as atomic physics, nuclear

physics, plasma physics, high energy physics, astrophysics, materials science, and laser

science – requires that these numerous interconnections to existing fields of science be

maintained and nurtured. Most of these fields of science have well-established scientific

communities in academe and the national laboratories, peer-review mechanisms for funding,

open facility access, and technical reporting, but their HEDP connections require greater

Federal coordination and management.

Technical advances relevant to HEDP, emerging scientific opportunities, and

recommendations for enabling further progress have been presented in a number of

reports sponsored by the Federal government in recent years. The current interagency

Task Force on HEDP (TF-HEDP) was chartered by the Interagency Working Group on the

Physics of the Universe (IWG-POU) under the Committee on Science of the National Science

and Technology Council to respond to a community-based report (Frontiers for Discovery

in HEDP) previously commissioned by the IWG-POU and to recommend specific steps

needed to advance scientific opportunities in HEDP.

Because of its interdisciplinary nature, support for HEDP crosses Federal agency boundaries.

Current HEDP-related activities are supported by the Department of Energy (DOE), the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Commerce’s

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Science Foundation

(NSF), and the Department of Defense (DOD). The scientific opportunities for HEDP have

arisen from frontier technologies developed for mission-critical needs in these Federal

programs, so the exploitation of these opportunities is best pursued in the context of

primary agency missions. Enhanced coordination among the agencies is appropriate,

however, in order to foster relationships among the range of scientific disciplines relevant

to HEDP. No single Federal agency can or should be the steward for this highly diverse

area of research. HEDP must also cultivate the diverse education and research activities

in universities that are vital both for advancing the intellectual frontiers of HEDP and for

recruiting and training the next generation of HEDP professionals.

This discussion of the Federal management of HEDP-related activities is organized along

the lines of current agency missions into four Federal Research Categories: Astrophysics,

High Energy Density Nuclear Physics, High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas (HED-LP),

and Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science. The mechanisms for planning, managing and

stewarding three of the four research categories – Astrophysics, High Energy Density

Nuclear Physics, and Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science – already exist and these

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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2 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

opportunities should be exploited in the context of agency missions. Competitive processes

to support research in Astrophysics exist within NASA and NSF. High Energy Density

Nuclear Physics is a well-defined area of research that is stewarded by DOE/Office of

Science/Office of Nuclear Physics (DOE/NP). Likewise, research thrusts related to Ultrafast,

Ultraintense Laser Science are supported by the DOE, DOD, and NSF.

However, the Federal government would be well served by the establishment of strategic

planning, management and merit-based, science-driven stewardship for High Energy Density

Laboratory Plasmas (HED-LP). Significant investments are presently being expended in

applied studies of HED-LP, but the Federal mechanisms for stewarding fundamental research

in HED-LP are poorly defined or do not exist. DOE facility usage policies and practices,

support and scientific evaluation infrastructure, and user communities are not in place to

take advantage of research capabilities.

To ensure stewardship of fundamental HED-LP science, and advance this area of research

consistent with Federal priorities and plans, while being responsive to the needs of the

scientific community, the TF-HEDP agencies will take the following actions:

• The Office of Science (SC) and the National Nuclear Security Administration

(NNSA) within DOE will establish a joint program in HED-LP responsible for

stewarding fundamental high energy density laboratory plasma science within

the Department of Energy.

• The DOE will ensure that the joint program solicits advice from the scientific

community regarding opportunities and priorities in fundamental HED-LP

science.

• The joint program, in consultation with NSF, will develop a coordinated

strategic plan for a national program in HED-LP and will support peer-reviewed

research through normal agency planning processes and joint solicitations

for research to be performed at universities and at national facilities.

• As the primary Federal steward of research capabilities in HED-LP within

DOE, NNSA will develop management processes to provide access to its

major facilities by researchers external to the NNSA national laboratories.

More broadly, actions led by the appropriate Federal agencies will be taken to encourage

and nurture interactions among the diverse range of scientific disciplines and associated

enabling technologies that encompass HEDP. An interagency website will be established

to provide information regarding the various Federal programs and their connection to

HEDP with links to information on HEDP research activities, funding mechanisms, user

facilities, workshops, and interagency coordinating activities. Interdisciplinary, international

meetings on HEDP will be organized, supported by all relevant agencies, to strengthen the

collaboration among the wide-ranging subfields of HEDP and to facilitate cross-fertilization

among groups at universities and national facilities. Further workshops will be organized

as needed to focus on specific areas that cut across the subfields of HEDP.
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

High energy density physics (HEDP) is the study of matter subject to conditions leading to

energy densities exceeding 1011 Joules/m3

. Examples of such extreme conditions include

pressures greater than a million times that of our atmosphere, laser intensities more than

twenty-five quadrillion times as intense as sunlight, ultra-strong magnetic fields more

than five million times that of the Earth, and energy densities at the very limit of what can

be studied in the laboratory (~2 x 1030 Joules/m3

) where ordinary nuclear matter melts

into its fundamental constituents, quarks and gluons. The study of high energy density

physics and related phenomena could enable significant advancements in astrophysics,

cosmology, high energy physics, nuclear physics and plasma science, and is necessary to

accomplish specific scientific and national security missions of the Federal agencies.

Over the last few years, a number of reports

sponsored by the Federal government have

identified an array of scientific opportunities

in HEDP. These opportunities often cut

across scientific disciplines and have arisen

from research supported by several Federal

programs. For example, some of the

earliest theoretical work on matter in the

HEDP regime was driven by observations

of astrophysical phenomena, such as the

death of a star, in which matter can be

subject to extreme pressures,

temperatures, and densities. Over the last

few decades, analogous physical conditions

have been reproduced in laboratories

conducting research driven by starkly

different missions. For instance, nuclear

physics experiments aimed at studying new

phases of nuclear matter through the

collision of heavy ions accelerated to high

energies produce fireballs with energy

densities so extreme as to mimic the

conditions of the first microseconds after

the Big Bang. Likewise, temperatures and densities that rival those in the interior of the

sun can be produced in high-energy/high-intensity laser and pulsed-power experimental

facilities used in inertial confinement fusion research and nuclear stockpile stewardship.

While pursuing their distinct mission-driven goals, these facilities have nevertheless opened

up new opportunities for research in laboratory-based astrophysics.

There are now a number of complementary techniques used in the study of physics at

high energy densities – astrophysical observations, particle accelerators, magnetically

I. INTRODUCTION

The striking Chandra image of supernova remnant, SNR 0103-72.6,

reveals a nearly perfect ring about 150 light years in diameter

surrounding a cloud of gas enriched in oxygen and heated to

millions of degrees Celsius by a shock wave produced by the

supernova explosion.

Credit: NASA/CXO/Penn. State/S.Park et al.

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confined plasmas, pulsed-power facilities, high-energy lasers and high-intensity lasers,

often in combination with one another. These approaches cut across a number of scientific

disciplines: atomic and molecular physics, astrophysics, plasma physics, material science,

laser science, nuclear physics and particle physics. The broad range of phenomena relevant

to HEDP and the corresponding degree to which HEDP touches on established fields of

science immediately highlights the strong interdisciplinary nature of this research and the

need for Federal coordination where appropriate. Federally sponsored studies examining

HEDP have identified many of these scientific links, but as yet no coherent framework for

Federal oversight of this area of research has been defined.

This report, prepared by the interagency Task Force on High Energy Density Physics (TFHEDP) under the auspices of the Interagency Working Group on the Physics of the Universe

(IWG-POU), identifies the needs for improving Federal stewardship of specific aspects of

high energy density physics, particularly the study of high energy density plasmas in the

laboratory and university activities in this discipline. The report articulates how HEDP fits

into the portfolio of Federally funded missions and includes agency actions to be taken to

further this area of study consistent with Federal priorities and plans, while being responsive

to the needs of the scientific community. The actions contained in the report, along with

other activities currently underway within individual agencies, will foster the evolution of

this emerging multidisciplinary scientific area.

The report is organized as follows: Section II reviews previous reports relating to HEDP

and summarizes the key issues relevant to Federal management. Section III summarizes

the key points of the 2004 report (Frontiers for Discovery in HEDP) of the National Task

Force on High Energy Density Physics (NTF-HEDP) and lays the groundwork for the findings

of this interagency TF-HEDP. Section IV outlines how HEDP, as categorized by this task

force, fits within the spectrum of Federal missions. Section V outlines the Federal plan for

managing HEDP activities, including specific agency actions to strengthen the Nation’s

research programs in high energy density physics. Appendix A and B contain the charter

and membership of the TF-HEDP. Appendix C describes Federal research and development

capabilities relevant to HEDP by agency. Appendix D describes how the major scientific

thrusts in HEDP, as identified by the NTF-HEDP, cut across various agency missions. Finally,

Appendix E describes the current and planned user policies for the National Nuclear Security

Administration’s facilities.

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The rapid worldwide progress in fields of research tied to high energy density physics has

received extensive recognition within the scientific community. Technical advances in the

field, emerging scientific opportunities, and recommendations to enable further progress

have been presented in a number of reports authored or sponsored by the Federal

government in recent years. These reports, which have been central to defining the

science of high energy density physics and future directions for research, are listed below:

The Quarks to Cosmos report has played a major role in organizing

the scientific thinking and effort within the Nation towards

answering fundamental questions at the intersection of physics

and astronomy. High energy density physics is highlighted in the

report as rapidly evolving and key to developing an understanding

of the physics of extreme astrophysical environments. The report

noted that unique laser, accelerator, and plasma confinement

devices could be used to “understand some of the most interesting

objects in the universe.” The report strongly endorses enhanced

exploration of laboratory high energy density plasmas and

II. SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS REPORTS

1. National Research Council, Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven

Science Questions for the New Century (Quarks to Cosmos), National

Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2003.

2. The Science and Applications of Ultrafast, Ultraintense Lasers (SAUUL):

Opportunities in Science and Technology Using the Brightest Light Known

to Man, Report on the SAUUL workshop sponsored by DOE and the

National Science Foundation (NSF), 2002.

3. National Research Council, High Energy Density Physics: The X-Games

of Contemporary Science (HEDP/X-Games), National Academies Press,

Washington, DC, 2003.

4. National Science and Technology Council Committee on Science, A 21st

Century Frontier of Discovery: The Physics of the Universe (2004-POU),

Office of Science and Technology Policy, Washington, DC, 2004.

5. National Task Force on High Energy Density Physics, Frontiers for

Discovery in High Energy Density Physics (Frontiers for Discovery in

HEDP), Office of Science and Technology Policy, Washington DC, 2004.

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recommends Federal interagency cooperation to fully exploit the available scientific

opportunities. This strong endorsement has catalyzed extensive interagency discussions

on HEDP as part of a broader discussion on interagency coordination of research on the

physics of the universe.

The SAUUL report discussed scientific applications of ultrafast,

ultraintense lasers relevant to HEDP studies. The report was

motivated by opportunities arising from the impressive advances

in laser technology over the previous ten years. Laser pulses shorter

in duration than a trillionth of a second, and with irradiance

exceeding those available in very large inertial fusion facilities, are

now available at modest size and cost to university researchers.

These lasers allow many HEDP questions to be investigated by

university research groups. The SAUUL report also made

recommendations for organizing the ultrafast, ultraintense laser

research community across the U.S. Many of the HEDP opportunities made available by

short-pulse lasers were also described in the HEDP/X-Games report.

The HEDP/X-Games report serves as a valuable survey of the

science of high energy density physics. This report defined key

scientific questions in this area of research and united a number

of disparate activities into an overall framework. The report also

pointed out the interdisciplinary (and interagency) nature of the

field and provided specific recommendations to strengthen the

field.

In order to formulate an interagency Federal response to the Quarks

to Cosmos report, the Interagency Working Group on the Physics

of the Universe (IWG-POU) was chartered under the Committee on

Science of the National Science and Technology Council. The IWGPOU examined the investments required in physics and astronomy

research relevant to the fundamental scientific questions raised by

the Quarks to Cosmos report and developed priorities for further

Federal action. The IWG-POU report (2004-POU) recommended

giving priority to three areas ready for investment: Dark Energy;

Dark Matter, Neutrinos and Proton Decay; and Gravity. The report also formulated the

next steps for the agencies to take in three additional areas: Origin of the Elements; Birth

of the Universe Using the Cosmic Microwave Background; and High Density and Temperature

Physics. The 2004-POU report contained thirteen recommendations aimed at prioritizing

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and implementing the recommended actions in all six areas. The IWG-POU considered the

HEDP/X-Games and SAUUL reports and other input in formulating its recommendations

regarding High Density and Temperature Physics.

The 2004-POU report contained three recommendations for High Density and Temperature

Physics:

All action items have been addressed:

1. In order to develop a balanced, comprehensive program, NSF will

work with DOE, NIST and NASA to develop a science driven roadmap

that lays out the major components of a national HEDP program,

including major scientific objectives and milestones and

recommended facility modifications and upgrades.

2. NNSA will add a high-energy, high-intensity laser capability to at

least one of its major compression facilities in order to observe and

characterize the dynamic behavior of high energy density matter.

3. DOE and NSF will develop a scientific roadmap for the luminosity

upgrade of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) in order to

maximize the scientific impact of RHIC on High Energy Density

(HED) physics.

1. The IWG-POU commissioned a community-based National Task Force

on High Energy Density Physics (NTF-HEDP) to determine the principal

science thrust areas as a “roadmap” for the field. The task force

successfully completed its work and submitted its report (Frontiers for

Discovery in HEDP) to the Federal government in 2004.

2. NNSA has implemented a high-energy, high-intensity laser capability

at the Omega EP facility located at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics

at the University of Rochester. A Congressionally-directed high intensity

petawatt laser capability is also under construction at Sandia National

Laboratories. Appendix E provides a summary of user policies for

these and other NNSA facilities.

3. DOE and NSF charged the jointly chartered Nuclear Science Advisory

Committee (NSAC) to develop a scientific roadmap for the RHIC

program. This roadmap forms the basis for DOE and NSF planning.

The RHIC accelerator and detector upgrades are now essential elements

in the DOE Office of Science/Office of Nuclear Physics 5-year budget

plan.

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8 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics
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As discussed above, the IWG-POU chartered the scientific community to develop a roadmap

for high energy density physics; a National Task Force on HEDP (NTF-HEDP) was convened

with Professor Ronald C. Davidson (Princeton University) as chairperson. Professor Davidson

had also chaired the HEDP/X-Games study. The NTF-HEDP organized a community

workshop to generate a science-driven roadmap and submitted its report (Frontiers for

Discoveries in HEDP) to the IWG-POU in 2004.

The Frontiers for Discovery in HEDP report identified fifteen scientific thrust areas of high

intellectual value for HEDP research, shown in Table 1. Research opportunities, scientific

objectives and milestones, resource requirements and opportunities for interagency

cooperation in the fifteen scientific thrust areas were identified. The report also contained

recommendations, some explicit and many implicit, for addressing obstacles to progress

in HEDP research.

The Frontiers for Discovery in HEDP report raised a number of specific issues, such as the

lack of access to appropriate computing facilities for many of the individual research areas

described. The need for continuing interagency coordination including facility access

programs was also noted. The report identified a variety of facility needs, including open

access to present kilojoule (kJ)-class lasers or a new kJ-class facility, and the need for

investment in kilowatt (kW), 1-10 millijoule femtosecond lasers and centers.

The current interagency task force on HEDP (TF-HEDP) was chartered by the IWG-POU to

respond to the findings in the Frontiers for Discovery in HEDP report and to determine

specific steps needed to move forward on scientific opportunities in HEDP. The charter

and members of the TF-HEDP are documented in Appendix A and B of this report. The

findings from the TF-HEDP are presented and discussed in the next section. Key actions to

be pursued by the Federal agencies are described in Section V. The emphasis in these

findings and agency actions is on defining roles and responsibilities for Federal stewardship

of HEDP as defined by the fifteen thrust areas in the Frontiers for Discovery in HEDP

report. Consideration of other specific actions in areas such as computing will be delegated

to the agency or agencies involved.

III. FRONTIERS FOR DISCOVERY IN HEDP REPORT

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 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

Table 1: The fifteen research thrust areas contained in the Frontiers for Discovery in

HEDP report.

Research Thrust Areas from Frontiers for Discovery in HEDP Report 

1. Astrophysical phenomena: What is the nature of matter and energy observed under extraordinary 

conditions in highly evolved stars and in their immediate surroundings, and how do matter and energy 

interact in such systems to produce the most energetic transient events in the universe? 

2. Fundamental physics of HED astrophysical phenomena: What are the fundamental material properties 

of matter, and what is the nature of the fundamental interactions between matter and energy, under 

the extreme conditions encountered in high energy density astrophysics? 

3. Laboratory astrophysics: What are the limits to our ability to test astrophysical models and 

fundamental physics in the laboratory, and how can we use laboratory experiments to elucidate either 

fundamental physics or phenomenology of astrophysical systems that are as yet inaccessible to either 

theory or simulations? 

4. Heavy ion driven HEDP and fusion: How can heavy ion beams be compressed to the high intensities 

required for creating high energy density matter and fusion ignition conditions? 

5. HED physics with ultrarelativistic electron beams: How can the ultra high electric fields in a beamdriven plasma wake field be harnessed and sufficiently controlled to accelerate and focus high-quality, 

high-energy beams in compact devices? 

6. Characterization of quark-gluon plasmas: What is the nature of matter at exceedingly high density and 

temperature characteristic of the Early Universe? Does the Quark Gluon Plasma exhibit any of the 

properties of classical plasma? 

7. Materials properties: What are the fundamental properties of matter at extreme states of temperature 

and/or density? 

8. Compressible dynamics: How do compressible, nonlinear flows evolve into the turbulent regime? 

9. Radiative hydrodynamics: Can high energy density experiments answer enduring questions about 

nonlinear radiative hydrodynamics and the dynamics of powerful astrophysical phenomena? 

10. Inertial confinement fusion: Can inertial fusion ignition be achieved in the laboratory and developed as 

a research tool? 

11. Laser excitation of matter at the relativistic extreme: How do many-body systems evolve in a light 

field under extreme relativistic conditions where an electron is accelerated to relativistic energies and 

particle production becomes possible in one optical cycle? 

12.Attosecond physics: Can physical and chemical processes be controlled with light pulses created in the 

laboratory that possess both the intrinsic time- (attoseconds, 1 as=10-18 s) and length- (x-rays, 1 Å) 

scales of all atomic matter? 

13. Ultrafast, high peak-power x-rays: Can intense, ultra-fast x-rays become a routine tool for imaging 

the structure and motion of “single” complex bio-molecules that are the constituents of all living 

things? Can nonlinear optics be applied as a powerful, routine probe of matter in the XUV/x-ray 

regime? 

14.Compact high energy particle acceleration: How can ultra-intense ultra-short pulse lasers be used to 

develop compact GeV to TeV class electron and or proton/ion accelerators? 

15. Inertial fusion fast ignition: Is it possible to make controlled nuclear fusion useful and efficient by 

heating plasmas with an intense, short pulse laser? 

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The TF-HEDP examined the Frontiers for Discovery in HEDP report and other inputs and

generated a series of findings and proposed Federal actions. In taking on this task, the

major problem encountered by the TF-HEDP was developing a sensible way to categorize

and discuss HEDP consistent with existing Federal missions. As described previously,

HEDP studies span a range of physics and are highly interdisciplinary. Advancing HEDP

requires that the numerous interconnections to existing major fields of science such as

plasma physics, atomic physics, nuclear physics, high energy physics, astrophysics, materials

science, and laser science be maintained and nurtured. The specific findings of the TFHEDP include:

• DOE/NNSA and DOE/SC/Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (DOE/FES) have

developed capabilities for their stockpile stewardship and fusion energy

missions, respectively, that enable studies of high energy density laboratory

and astrophysical plasmas.

• DOE/SC/Office of Nuclear Physics (DOE/NP) has developed capabilities for

studies of matter at extreme density and temperature that are integral to

the Nuclear Physics mission.

• NASA, NSF and DOE/SC/Office of High Energy Physics (DOE/HEP) have

developed capabilities for mission-related astrophysical studies that will

increase fundamental knowledge about high energy density plasmas and

ultimately elucidate novel HEDP phenomena in the cosmos.

• DOE/HEP is examining both high power laser and electron-beam-driven

plasma wake fields as possible advanced accelerator mechanisms.

• DOE/SC/Office of Basic Energy Science (DOE/BES) and NSF support work in

ultrafast, ultraintense laser science to study fundamental interactions in atoms,

molecules, and materials; to advance basic plasma physics; and to develop

new tools such as ultrafast x-ray sources for investigation of matter. This

work also enables and advances the study of high energy density plasmas.

IV. FINDINGS

The opportunities for HEDP arise from frontier technologies developed for missioncritical needs in several high-priority Federal programs, as illustrated in Table 2.

Exploitation of these opportunities supports, and needs to be pursued in the context

of, these primary missions. This crucial point is key to understanding the

interdisciplinary nature of HEDP. In particular:

1.

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 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

• The fields of science relevant to the advancement of HEDP include atomic

and molecular physics, astrophysics, materials science, nuclear physics,

particle physics, plasma physics, and laser science. Most of these fields are

already well-established in terms of the infrastructure required to support

university research, including established scientific communities, peer-review

mechanisms for funding, and open facility access policies.

High energy density physics as articulated in the Frontiers for Discovery in HEDP

report (i.e., the fifteen thrust areas) cuts across many traditional fields of physical

science.

2.

• The Department of Defense (DOD) supports research in intense laser and

particle beam generation, pulsed power, as well as the generation of x-rays

and neutrons for weapons applications and effects studies.

• The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) supplies

fundamental atomic data and advances the study of atomic processes in

high energy density plasmas.

Table 2: Agencies, their missions, and the capabilities developed in support of those

agency missions that are relevant to HEDP studies.

Agency Mission Capabilities relevant to HEDP 

DOE/NNSA Stockpile Stewardship 

Major facilities, modeling capabilities, and technologies; fundamental 

physics of matter at extreme conditions; physics of ultraintense lasermatter and beam-matter interactions 

DOE/FES Fusion Energy; Basic Plasma 

Science 

Heavy ion beam science; physics of laser-matter, beam-matter 

interactions, plasma jets, and dense plasmas in ultrahigh magnetic fields 

DOE/NP Nuclear Physics Major facility for studies of fundamental knowledge of quark-gluon 

plasmas 

NASA Astrophysics Space-based astrophysics observatories 

DOE/HEP High Energy Physics Relativistic laser-matter and intense beam-matter interactions 

NSF Basic Research and Education Basic plasma physics; basic atomic and molecular physics (ultrafast, 

ultraintense lasers); ground-based astrophysics observatories

DOE/BES Basic Energy Sciences Ultrafast, ultraintense lasers and x-ray sources capable of producing HED 

matter; x-ray and neutron sources capable of probing HED matter 

DOD National Defense Intense laser and particle beam generation and interaction with matter; 

x-ray and neutron generation; pulsed power technologies 

NIST Measurement Science, Standards, 

and Technology 

Atomic data; atomic physics in high temperature plasmas; x-ray 

diagnostic instrumentation; laser science; metrology 

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 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

• Better understanding of the collective interaction of particles and waves and

the related laser-plasma instabilities, which is vital for achieving inertial

confinement fusion.

• The detailed prediction of failure and fracture of materials, an important

issue at the boundary of dynamic materials science and HEDP.

• Laboratory experiments in both the high energy density and low energy

density regimes that may shed light on the origin of magnetic fields in the

universe.

• The behavior of dense plasmas in ultrahigh magnetic fields, a relatively

unexplored and intellectually rich regime of plasma physics, has potential

applications to energy as well as astrophysics and materials science.

The list of fifteen research thrusts identified by the Frontiers for Discovery in HEDP

report should not be regarded as comprehensive. There are additional crosscutting areas of HEDP of interest to the missions of Federal agencies. Examples of

such areas include:

3.

• Since HEDP involves multiple disciplines, its support crosses agency

boundaries. Current HEDP-related activities are supported by the DOE, NASA,

NIST, NSF, and the DOD.

• Moreover, the common usage of “HEDP” within the scientific community,

nationally and internationally, generally refers only to studies of high energy

density plasmas in the laboratory.

• The fifteen thrust areas include both the development of fundamental

knowledge regarding matter at extreme conditions and the use of that

knowledge to enable research advances in other areas such as astrophysical

phenomena, development of advanced accelerators, and materials science

studies.

Organizing the research thrusts outlined in the Frontiers for Discovery in HEDP

report along the lines of current agency missions facilitates their Federal

management.

4.

• In particular, the fifteen thrust areas fall into four Federal Research Categories:

Astrophysics, High Energy Density Nuclear Physics, High Energy Density

Laboratory Plasmas, and Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science. Table 3

indicates how the fifteen scientific thrusts map into these four research

categories.

13
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

*While thrusts 5 and 14 have been placed in High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas and Ultrafast,

Ultraintense Laser Science respectively, they describe research areas focused on particle acceleration by

plasma wake fields, which is the domain of accelerator science and primarily supported by DOE/HEP.

Federal Research Category Research thrust area(s) from the 

Frontiers for Discovery in HEDP report 

Astrophysics 1. Astrophysical phenomena 

 2. Fundamental physics of HED astrophysical phenomena 

High Energy Density Nuclear Physics 6. Characterization of quark-gluon plasmas 

High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas 3. Laboratory astrophysics 

 4. Heavy ion driven HEDP and fusion 

 5. HED physics with ultrarelativistic electron beams*

 7. Materials properties 

 8. Compressible dynamics 

 9. Radiative hydrodynamics 

 10. Inertial confinement fusion 

 15. Inertial fusion fast ignition 

Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science 11. Laser excitation of matter at the relativistic extreme 

12. Attosecond physics 

13. Ultrafast, high peak-power x-rays 

14. Compact high energy particle acceleration*

Table 3: Federal categorization of fifteen thrust areas contained in the Frontiers for

Discovery in HEDP report.

• Furthermore, the agency missions must be broadly interpreted to include

the university-based research activities that are key to advancing the

intellectual frontiers of present or future importance to HEDP and to recruiting

and training the next generation of HEDP scientists.

14
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

• Description of Federal Research Categories:

Astrophysics: This category includes core

activities in astrophysical research such as the

study of matter subject to extreme temperatures,

densities, and pressures in supernovae,

astrophysical jets and accretion disks, neutron

stars, and giant planet interiors. Competitive

processes for funding in these areas exist within

NASA, NSF, DOE/HEP and DOE/NP. Consistent

with their primary mission, NASA resources have

been focused on space-based observation and

exploration activities.

High Energy Density Nuclear Physics: This

category recognizes the distinct nature of quarkgluon plasma research and its foundations in

the broader field of nuclear physics.

At normal temperatures and densities, nuclear

matter contains

individual protons

and neutrons that are

made up of three

quarks, “glued” or bound together by gluons.

Under the extreme conditions of the early universe,

quarks and gluons are believed to be liberated

and form a quark-gluon plasma. The study of

nuclear matter subject to these conditions is a

major scientific thrust of nuclear physics and is

the central mission of the Relativistic Heavy Ion

Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Research priorities regarding quark-gluon plasmas

are set in the context of fundamental questions

regarding nuclear physics, rather than the behavior

of materials at extreme conditions.

High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas

(HED-LP): This category includes the rich and

varied set of activities involved in the study of

ordinary (as opposed to quark-gluon) plasmas

with energy densities exceeding 1011 J/m3 and

the applications of these studies to research

problems in other areas of science. The

activities in this category are highly

interdisciplinary in nature, and have been

A false-color image of the Crab

Nebula, a supernova remnant. This

NASA composite image combines data

from the space-based observatories,

Chandra, Hubble, and Spitzer,

providing a unique view of the

expanding debris from the death

explosion of a massive star in X-ray

(blue-purple), optical (green) and

infrared (red) light.

Credits: NASA - X-ray: CXO, J.Hester

(Ariz. State) et al.; Optical: ESA,

J.Hester and A.Loll (Ariz. State);

Infrared: JPL-Caltech, R.Gehrz (U.

Minn)

View of Omega chamber during

cryogenic target implosion

Credit: LLE

End view of a collision of two 30-

billion electron-volt gold beams in

the STAR detector at the

Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at

BNL. The beams travel in opposite

directions at nearly the speed of

light before colliding.

Credit: Courtesy of BNL

15
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

enabled by frontier technologies developed to produce and characterize matter

at high energy densities. Pulsed power and high-energy/high-power laser

facilities utilized primarily for defense-related research produce extreme

conditions of x-ray and laser energy density which enable new regimes of

material, plasma, and fusion science to be explored. Those facilities have

also opened up a new frontier in laboratory astrophysics. When further

equipped with appropriate advanced diagnostic tools, these facilities have

already contributed to advancing our understanding of key phenomena in

materials properties, compressible dynamics, radiative hydrodynamics,

laboratory astrophysics, and controlled thermonuclear fusion and burn.

Moreover, when coupled with continually increasing capabilities in computation

(soon to reach and exceed petaflop speeds), it is expected that predictive

power from basic principles for many of the above phenomena will be within

reach. The various reports cited in Section II have highlighted the need for

further additional Federal attention to this particular area of science.

Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science: This

category includes all research thrusts involving

the explicit application of ultrafast, ultraintense

laser sources. Recent breakthroughs in laser

technology have opened two new research

frontiers: the ultrafast, featuring laser pulses of

less than a femtosecond and down towards

atomic time scales measured in attoseconds; and

the ultraintense, featuring irradiances whose

electromagnetic fields create relativistic particle

motion. The span of research activity exploring

these new frontiers, separately or in combination,

covers the mission interests of several Federal

agencies. The four research thrusts placed in

this category – relativistic excitation of matter, attosecond physics, ultrafast

x-ray generation for time resolved structural studies of solids and molecules,

and compact high energy particle acceleration – were identified by previous

reports as areas of particularly promising opportunities. These application

areas have substantial impact on a very broad range of scientific fields. For

example, ultrafast science is relevant to atomic and molecular physics,

chemistry and chemical biology, materials sciences, magnetic and electric

field phenomena, optics, and laser engineering. Research in these areas is

also intimately connected in many cases to activities ongoing in the

astrophysics and high energy density laboratory plasmas categories. Further

examination of the scientific opportunities and agency interconnections in

this area is needed. A key feature of this category is that many of the

cutting-edge research facilities are in universities where they are used to

address a great diversity of scientific questions. This is a vital platform for

the field of HEDP in that it investigates a broad range of frontier questions,

Photograph of the LLNL Petawatt

laser striking a solid gold target and

producing a cone of accelerated

electrons and protons with energy

up to 100 MeV. The laser enters from

the left.

Credit: T. Ditmire (UT Austin)

16
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

can serve as a test bench for experiments destined for national facilities,

and is a magnet for the talent that will enable HEDP to prosper in the future.

• Lead agencies and participating agencies are defined in Table 4 for the four

Federal Research Categories defined above.

• The lead agencies shown in Table 4 are responsible for stewardship of the

areas identified in the left-hand column. The research in a given area is

primarily supported by the lead agencies, and is relevant to, or enabled by,

the work of the participating agencies.

Federal 

Research Categories 

Research 

Examples 

Lead 

Agencies 

Participating 

Agencies 

Astrophysics 

Astrophysical jets, physics of 

astrophysical plasmas; neutron 

star interiors; core-collapse 

supernovae 

NASA, NSF DOE/NNSA, NSF, DOE/NP, 

NIST, DOE/FES, DOE/HEP 

High Energy Density Nuclear 

Physics 

Physics of quark-gluon 

plasmas; nuclear astrophysics DOE/NP NSF, NASA 

High Energy Density Laboratory 

Plasmas 

Fundamental studies of 

hydrodynamics, radiation flow, 

material properties, fusion 

burn, and materials under 

condition of extreme laser and 

particle beam irradiation; 

dense plasmas in ultrahigh 

fields; laboratory studies of 

astrophysical plasmas and 

associated material properties 

DOE/NNSA, 

DOE/FES 

NSF, DOD, DOE/HEP*, 

DOE/BES, DOE/NP, NIST, 

NASA 

Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser 

Science 

Ultraintense x-rays for material 

science studies; applications of 

ultraintense lasers to chemistry 

and materials; advanced 

accelerators 

DOE/BES, NSF DOE/NNSA, DOE/HEP*, 

DOE/FES, DOD 

Table 4: Agencies leading and participating in the four Federal Research Categories of

HEDP. The research in a given area is primarily stewarded and supported by the lead

agencies, and is relevant to, or enabled by, the work of the participating agencies.

*DOE/HEP is the primary steward of accelerator science and technology, including the use of particle and

laser-driven plasma wake fields for particle acceleration.

17
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

• NASA and NSF have primary

responsibilities for funding

research in astrophysics. The

laboratory study of high energy

density phenomena relevant to

astrophysics will be primarily

sponsored by the Department

of Energy. DOE, NASA, and NSF

activities in this area should be

coordinated.

• Mechanisms for nurturing the

synergy between the

astrophysics and high energy

density laboratory plasmas

scientific communities should be

established.

• It is appropriate that the scientific opportunities and priorities continue to

be established in the context of agency overall missions.

Applying laboratory high energy density plasma capabilities to astrophysical problems

is a promising area of research whose research opportunities and stewardship

responsibilities are not yet well defined.

5.

• A mature user community as

well as established funding

solicitations and user facilities

such as the RHIC are in place.

• It is appropriate that the

scientific opportunities and

priorities continue to be

established in the context of

overall agency missions.

The study of quark-gluon plasmas and other new states of nuclear matter is a wellidentified area of research that needs little additional attention from this task force.6.

A simulation of a Type II Supernova shock wave, exhibiting

complex compressible hydrodynamic flow compared with a

radiograph showing the results of an experiment using the Omega

laser to create a shock wave which exhibits similar behavior on a

much smaller scale.

Credits: Supernova simulation, K. Kifonidis (Max Planck Inst.) et

al., experimental radiograph H. F. Robey (LLNL) et al.

The aftermath of a head-on collision of two gold nuclei at RHIC

in which over 6,000 particles (shown as dots) are produced.

Credits: Image produced by Jeffery Mitchell (BNL). Simulation by

the UrQMD Collaboration.

18
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

Stewardship of basic research in High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas

(HED-LP) needs to be improved within the Department of Energy.

7.

• DOE/NNSA and DOE/FES have

developed capabilities for their

stockpile stewardship and fusion

energy missions that enable studies

of high energy density laboratory

plasmas. Significant investments

and efforts are presently being

expended in studies of high energy

density plasmas.

• While both DOE/NNSA and DOE/FES

support competitively awarded

university research in this area,

Federal mechanisms for stewardship

of fundamental research in high

energy density laboratory plasma

science are poorly defined or do not exist today. DOE needs to ensure that

the management of HED-LP is consistent with both agency programmatic

objectives and sound stewardship of this area of science.

• Because there is no primary Federal steward, the peer review infrastructure

required to support a sound scientific program of academic basic research in

high energy density laboratory plasma science is not well established. Facility

usage policies and practices, funding support and scientific evaluation

infrastructure, and user communities are not in place to take full advantage

of the research capabilities within DOE. A summary of current user policies

for these programs and other NNSA facilities is provided in Appendix E.

• DOE/HEP is the primary federal

steward of accelerator science

and technology, including the

study of beam-driven plasma

wake fields for particle

acceleration. It is appropriate

that the scientific opportunities

and priorities in this area

continue to be established in

the context of accelerator

science and technology.

The Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment at the LBNL

to study the limits of compression of ion beams in the presence

of a neutralizing plasma. Large compression of the ion beam

is required for using the ion beams to perform experiments

to investigate Warm Dense Matter.

Credit: Courtesy of LBNL.

Time-exposure photograph of electrical flashover arcs produced over

the surface of the water in the accelerator tank as a byproduct of

the operation of the Z pulsed power facility at SNL. These flashovers

are much like strokes of lightning.

Credit: Courtesy of SNL

19
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science is currently stewarded within DOE/BES and

NSF. Many cross-cutting scientific opportunities exist in this increasingly

interdisciplinary field.

8.

• The scientific thrusts outlined in

the Frontiers for Discovery in

HEDP report relevant to

ultrafast, ultraintense laser

science are primarily being

supported by peer-reviewed

research in DOE/BES and NSF.

Compact high-energy particle

acceleration is supported by

DOE/HEP.

• The facility needs of the

ultrafast, ultraintense laser

science community are being

addressed through the normal

peer-review process at DOE/BES

and NSF, resulting, for example,

in several high power lasers

coming on line at national

laboratories and in university

settings with multiple principal

investigators.

• X-ray radiography of high energy density experiments in radiation

hydrodynamics and dynamic materials is a major need of DOE/NNSA. Such

radiography is often best achieved using ultraintense laser pulses. NNSA

also uses ultrafast laser technology as a probe of materials dynamics of

interest to its mission. These requirements drive NNSA investments in

ultrafast, ultraintense laser facilities. These facilities are also useful for the

study of inertial fusion using ultraintense lasers to heat a pre-compressed

fuel mass (“fast ignition”) and fundamental scientific questions involving the

behavior of matter in the presence of extreme electromagnetic fields.

• The connections of ultrafast, ultraintense lasers, both as enabling technologies

and of intellectual value, to HEDP have been noted in previous studies. The

cross-cutting areas of research enabled by the development of ultrafast,

ultraintense laser science are important and would benefit from interagency

cooperation. For example, the potential co-location of facilities supporting

multiple agency missions – such as an ultraintense laser facility at LCLS to

allow materials and high energy density laboratory plasma research – should

be explored further.

Images of a wake field produced by a 30 TW laser pulse in plasma

of density 2.7 x 1018 cm-3. These waves show curved wavefronts,

an important feature for generating and accelerating electrons

that had been predicted, but never before seen.

Credits: M. Downer (UT Austin), N. Matlis (UC Berkeley)

20
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

• Only very recently have synergies been established among the disparate

fields, for example, nuclear physics – with the discovery of new states of

matter created at RHIC – and plasma physics. Both nuclear physics and

plasma physics are traditional in the sense mentioned above, yet researchers

in both fields would benefit from enhanced interactions. This example is

only one of many.

• A forum that encourages fruitful interactions of these diverse communities

and nurtures possible synergies would benefit research in the various areas

of HEDP studies.

It is important to encourage interactions between the fields of research studying

aspects of HEDP.

9.

21
22 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

Action Item

Three of the four areas of HEDP research have existing mechanisms for Federal

planning, management and stewardship. The scientific opportunities in these three

areas should be exploited in the context of primary agency missions.

V. AGENCY ACTIONS

High Energy Density Physics cuts across many traditional fields of physical science. Many

of these fields are already well-established in terms of their scientific communities, peerreview mechanisms for funding, open facility access and technical reporting.

Since HEDP encompasses multiple disciplines, its support crosses agency boundaries.

Current HEDP-related activities are supported by the DOE, NASA, NIST, NSF, and the DOD.

However, limited Federal coordination among these agencies has existed to date on the

broad topic of HEDP.

Enhanced coordination among the agencies is necessary in order to nurture relationships

among the range of scientific disciplines relevant to HEDP. No single agency can or should

be the sole steward for this highly diverse area of study. This Task Force asserts that the

scientific frontiers should be advanced for the benefit of all the component disciplines in a

manner that optimizes the Federal investment through interagency coordination.

Astrophysics: NASA and NSF are the lead Federal agencies for planning, prioritizing and

managing Astronomy and Astrophysics research and facilities. Participating agencies will

continue to contribute in this area consistent with priorities established within their missions

and by the communities they serve.

High Energy Density Nuclear Physics: DOE/NP, in collaboration with NSF, is the lead Federal

organization for planning, prioritizing and managing high energy density nuclear physics,

in the context of its overall Nuclear Physics Mission. Participating agencies will continue to

contribute in this area consistent with priorities established within their missions and by

the communities they serve.

Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science: DOE/BES and NSF are the lead Federal agencies for

planning, prioritizing and managing ultrafast, ultraintense laser science in the context of

their missions and the communities they serve. Participating agencies will contribute in

this area consistent with priorities established within their missions and by the communities

they serve. It is anticipated that some studies of high energy density laboratory plasmas

created using ultrafast/ultraintense lasers will be funded by NNSA and/or DOE/FES through

the joint program in high energy density laboratory plasmas described below.

23
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

Action Item

Advancing research in High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas (HED-LP) requires

Federal organization and mechanisms for planning, management and merit-based,

science-driven stewardship. The following actions will be implemented to address

these deficiencies:

1. DOE/SC and NNSA will

establish a joint program in

HED-LP. This program will be

responsible for stewarding

fundamental high energy

density laboratory plasma

science within DOE. The SC

Associate Director for DOE/

FES and the NNSA Assistant

Deputy Administrator for

Inertial Confinement Fusion

and the NIF Project will

coordinate joint program

activities within SC and NNSA,

respectively. Programmatic activities involving high energy density laboratory

plasmas will continue to report through their current offices. Participating

agencies will continue to contribute in this area consistent with priorities

established within their missions and by the communities they serve.

2. The DOE will ensure that the joint

program solicits advice from the

scientific community regarding

opportunities and priorities in

fundamental HED-LP science.

3. The joint program, in consultation

with NSF, will develop a coordinated

strategic plan for a national program

in fundamental high energy density

laboratory plasma science.

4. The joint program will support peerreviewed research through normal

agency planning processes and joint

solicitations. The initial such joint solicitation is planned for FY2008.

Coordination will take place with NSF, when appropriate.

An artist’s rendering of a gold cylinder or “hohlraum”

approximately 1 cm in length being illuminated in the

indirect drive configuration by the NIF laser. The laser

beams deposit their energy on the inside surface of the

hohlraum, where the energy is converted to thermal x-rays

which heat and ablate the surface of the ignition capsule,

causing it to implode.

Credit: Courtesy of LLNL

Convergence of high velocity plasma jets creates high energy

density plasmas.

Credit: Courtesy of HyperV Technologies Corporation, Virginia.

24
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

Action Item

Information regarding the scientific opportunities and funding mechanisms for HEDP

research should be easily accessible to interested researchers. Mechanisms will be

put in place to encourage and nurture synergies among the very diverse range of

physical phenomena and enabling technologies that encompass HEDP. The following

specific actions will be taken:

1. An interagency website will be established that provides information

regarding the various mission-critical programs and their connection

to HEDP with links to all the participating agencies’ web sites,

information on HEDP research activities, funding mechanisms, user

facilities, workshops, studies, and interagency coordinating activities.

This website will be maintained by the HED-LP joint program within

the Department of Energy.

2. A regular, interdisciplinary, international meeting on HEDP will be

organized and supported by all relevant agencies, to strengthen the

collaboration among the wide-ranging subfields of HEDP and facilitate

cross-fertilization. Further workshops will be organized as needed in

specific areas that cut across the subfields of HEDP.

5. NNSA will develop management processes to provide access to major facilities

by HEDP researchers external to the NNSA national laboratories. These

researchers should be involved in both programmatic activities as well as

fundamental high energy density laboratory plasma science of broader

national interest, as the two are strongly linked. User groups and workshops

should be established to inform researchers of the opportunities for HED-LP

research at these major facilities. Research conducted at these user facilities

should be done in a manner consistent with the mission goals of NNSA.

Further information on NNSA user facility policies is contained in

Appendix E.

6. Workshops will be organized to deal with specific areas of interest. In

particular, DOE, NASA and NSF will sponsor a workshop on scientific

opportunities in laboratory astrophysics. NASA will broaden its existing

solicitation in laboratory astrophysics to include the possibility of supporting

activities in high energy density laboratory plasma science applicable to NASA

missions.

Strengthening university activities in high energy density laboratory plasmas will help

advance the Nation’s basic science mission goals and ultimately contribute to achieving

major programmatic goals of DOE in nuclear weapons stewardship and fusion energy.

25
26 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

Appendix A. TF-HEDP Charter

Charter

of the

Task Force on High Energy Density Physics

Interagency Working Group on the Physics of the Universe

Committee on Science

 National Science and Technology Council

A. Official Designation

The Task Force on High Energy Density Physics is hereby established under the

auspices of the Interagency Working Group on the Physics of the Universe by action

of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee on Science

(CoS).

B. Purpose and Scope

The purpose of the Task Force on High Energy Density Physics (TF-HEDP) is to

advise and assist the Interagency Working Group on the physics of the Universe in

developing and implementing a strategic plan for advancing non-defense scientific

research in High Energy Density Physics. The TF-HEDP will provide a forum for

discussion of interagency issues in High Energy Density Physics, facilitate

interagency coordination, and establish priorities for the development of scientific

research capabilities to address the vexing questions and opportunities in this area.

Specifically, the TF-HEDP will provide guidance for implementing the

recommendations of the National Task Force on HEDP as delineated in the report

titled Frontiers for Discovery in High Energy Density Physics.

C. Functions may include, but are not limited to:

1. Review agency programs and plans for scientific research specifically relevant to

research in HEDP.

2. Identify and recommend priorities for scientific research in HEDP.

3. Develop plans and recommendations for implementing a coordinated, multiagency research and development agenda in this area.

4. Facilitate interagency cooperation and policy development regarding use of

scientific facilities.

VI. APPENDICES

27
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

5. Foster the development of the research community and facilitate coordination of

HEDP activities across the agencies.

The TF-HEDP will make recommendations regarding policy, research and

development issues and opportunities in this area of study to the National Science

and Technology Council through the Committee on Science via the Interagency

Working Group on the Physics of the Universe.

D. Membership

The following NSTC departments and agencies are represented on the Task Force on

High Energy Density Physics at the director or associate director level, as

appropriate:

Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Department of Energy

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

National Science Foundation

Smithsonian

The following organizations in the Executive Office of the President shall also be

represented on the Task Force, as appropriate:

Office of the Vice President

Office of Management and Budget

Domestic Policy Council

National Economic Council

Office of Science and Technology Policy

Council on Environmental Quality

E. Private Sector Interface

The TF-HEDP may seek advice from members of the President’s Council of Advisors

on Science and Technology (PCAST) and will recommend to the Director of the

Office of Science and Technology Policy the nature of additional private sector advice

needed to accomplish its mission. The task force may also interact with and receive

ad hoc advice from various private-sector groups as consistent with the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

F. Termination Date

Unless renewed by the Co-chairs of IWG on the Physics of the Universe prior to its

expiration, the TF-HEDP shall terminate no later than March 31, 2009.

G. Determination

We hereby determine that the formation of the Task Force on High Energy Density

Physics is in the best interests of the Interagency Working Group on the Physics of

28
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

the Universe and its purpose can be best performed through the advice and counsel

of such a group.

Approved:

Joseph Dehmer, Co-chair, Physics of the Universe IWG

Robin Staffin, Co-Chair, Physics of the Universe IWG

Eric Smith, Co-Chair, Physics of the Universe IWG

29
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

Appendix B. The Interagency Task Force on HEDP

NSTC Committee on Science

Co-Chairs:

Sharon Hays, Office of Science & Technology Policy

Arden Bement, National Science Foundation

Elias Zerhouni, National Institutes of Health

Interagency Working Group on the Physics of the Universe

Co-Chairs:

Michael H. Salamon, National Aeronautics & Space Administration

Joseph L. Dehmer, National Science Foundation

Robin Staffin, Department of Energy

Task Force on High Energy Density Physics

Co-Chairs:

Dennis Kovar, Department of Energy

Christopher J. Keane, Department of Energy

Executive Secretary:

Francis Thio, Department of Energy

OSTP:

Robert Dimeo

Assistant Director for Physical Sciences and Engineering

Jon A. Morse

Senior Policy Analyst, Physical Sciences and Engineering

Kathryn Beers

Office of Science and Technology Policy

Executive Office of the President

725 17th St., NW, Room 5218

Washington, DC 20502

Telephone: (202) 456-6069

Email: kbeers@ostp.eop.gov

30
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

DOD:

Sidney L. Ossakow

Naval Research Laboratory

Superintendent, Plasma Physics Division

Code 6700

Washington, DC 20375-5346

Telephone: (202) 767-2723

FAX: (202) 767-1607

E-mail: sidney.ossakow@nrl.navy.mil

DOE/NNSA:

Christopher Deeney

Director, Office of Defense Science

National Nuclear Security Administration

U.S. Department of Energy

NA-11/Forrestal Building

1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20585

Telephone: (202) 586-7416

FAX: (202) 586-8005

Email: chris.deeney@nnsa.doe.gov

Allan A. Hauer

Technical Director, Office of Inertial

Confinement Fusion

National Nuclear Security Administration

U.S. Department of Energy

NA-161/Forrestal Building

1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20585

Telephone: (202) 586-7612

Email: allan.hauer@nnsa.doe.gov

Christopher J. Keane

Assistant Deputy Administrator for Inertial

Confinement Fusion and National Ignition

Facility

National Nuclear Security Administration

U.S. Department of Energy

NA-16/Forrestal Building

1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20585

Telephone: (202) 586-0852

FAX: (202) 586-1873

Email: chris.keane@nnsa.doe.gov

Ralph F. Schneider

Office of Defense Science

National Nuclear Security Administration

U.S. Department of Energy

NA-113/Forrestal Building

1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20585

Telephone: (202) 586-0837

FAX: (202) 586-8005

Email: ralph.schneider@nnsa.doe.gov

31
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

DOE/SC/FES:

Francis Thio

Program Manager for High Energy Density

Physics

and Innovative Confinement Concepts

Office of Fusion Energy Sciences

Office of Science

U.S. Department of Energy

SC-90/Germantown Building

1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20585-1290

Telephone: (301) 903-4678

Email: francis.thio@science.doe.gov

DOE/SC/BES:

Eric A. Rohlfing

Director, Chemical Sciences, Geosciences,

and Biosciences Division

Office of Basic Energy Sciences

Office of Science

U.S. Department of Energy

SC-22.1/Germantown Building

1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20585-1290

Telephone: (301) 903-8165

Email: eric.rohlfing@science.doe.gov

Michael P. Casassa

Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and

Biosciences Division

Office of Basic Energy Sciences

Office of Science

U.S. Department of Energy

SC-22.1/Germantown Building

1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20585-1290

Telephone: (301) 903-0448

FAX: (301) 903-4110

Email: michael.casassa@science.doe.gov

DOE/SC/NP:

Jehanne Simon-Gillo

Program Manager for Facilities and

Instrumentation

Office of Nuclear Physics

Office of Science

U.S. Department of Energy

SC-90/Germantown Building

1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20585-1290

Telephone: (301) 903-1455

FAX: (301) 903-3833

Email: jehanne.simongillo@science.doe.gov

Dennis Kovar

Associate Director

Office of Nuclear Physics

Office of Science

U.S. Department of Energy

SC-90/Germantown Building

1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20585-1290

Telephone: (301) 903-3613

FAX: (301) 903-3833

Email: dennis.kovar@science.doe.gov

32
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

DOE/SC/HEP:

Robin Staffin

Associate Director

Office of High Energy Physics

Office of Science

U.S. Department of Energy

SC-20/Germantown Building

1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20585-1290

Telephone: (301) 903-3624

FAX: (301) 903-2597

Email: robin.staffin@science.doe.gov

Lek K. Len

Research and Technology Division

Office of High Energy Physics

Office of Science

U.S. Department of Energy

SC-25.1/Germantown Building

1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20585-1290

Telephone: (301) 903-3233

Email: LK.Len@science.doe.gov

NASA:

Michael H. Salamon

Discipline Scientist for Fundamental

Physics

Astrophysics Division

Science Mission Directorate

National Aeronautics and Space

Administration

M/S 3W39

300 E Street, SW

Washington, DC 20546-0001

Telephone: (202) 358-0441

FAX: (202) 358-3096

Email: michael.h.salamon@nasa.gov

NIST:

John D. Gillaspy

Atomic Physics Division

National Institute of Standards and

Technology

100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8410

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8410

Telephone: (301) 975-3236

Email: john.gillaspy@nist.gov

Thomas B. Lucatorto

Group Leader, Photon Physics Group

National Institute of Standards and

Technology

100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8410

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8410

Telephone: (301) 975-3734

Email: thomas.lucatorto@nist.gov

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 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

NSF:

Joseph L. Dehmer

Director

Division of Physics

National Science Foundation

4201 Wilson Blvd., Room 1015

Arlington, VA 22230

Telephone: (703) 292-7370

FAX: (703) 292-9078

Email: jdehmer@nsf.gov

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Appendix C Federally Supported Research and Capabilities

Relevant to HEDP *

* As outlined in the Federal Research Categories: Astrophysics, High Energy Density Nuclear Physics,

High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas, and Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science.

High energy density physics research and enabling capabilities have arisen through the

mission critical work supported by several Federal agencies in areas ranging from space

exploration to nuclear stockpile stewardship. Detailed understanding of the

corresponding high energy density physics is both enabled by and important to the

missions of these programs. The research and activities supported by Federal

programs, a list of relevant facilities, and the relationship of the study of high energy

density physics to each agency’s missions are outlined below.

Department of Defense (DOD)

Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)

The Air Force Research Laboratory is responsible for the discovery, development and

integration of affordable warfighting technologies in support of the Air Force’s future

and existing aerospace and space weapons systems. Within the AFRL, the Directed

Energy Directorate (AFRL/DE) develops high energy lasers, high power microwaves,

advanced optics, beam control and other directed energy technologies for the USAF and

Department of Defense.

Three mission-critical U.S. Air Force (USAF) supported R&D areas – pulsed power, ultrashort pulse lasers, and high-energy-density materials – have connections to HEDP. The

USAF operates high current pulsed power facilities such as the Shiva Star Facility which

can produce extreme pressures for fractions of a second with applications to high

power microwave technology, radiation sources, nuclear stockpile stewardship and

other defense purposes. The USAF interest in ultra-short pulse lasers includes modest

effort on laser-induced plasma channels for various purposes, such as remote sensing,

target illuminators, and micro-machining. USAF also supports complementary

theoretical and computational abilities and resources which have been developed and

used to guide and interpret experiments.

Federal Research Categories:

High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas

Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science

Facilities:

Shiva Star – Air Force Research Laboratory on Kirtland AFB

Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)

NRL operates high energy Krypton Fluoride (KrF) laser-target facilities such as Nike, the

world’s highest energy KrF laser, with applications to direct-drive laser fusion energy,

KrF laser research, as well as nuclear stockpile stewardship. These lasers are unique in

their ability to deliver energy uniformly to their targets at smaller wavelengths than

36
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

other high energy lasers. Nike is coupled with a full suite of diagnostics for HEDP

research to allow studies in high-pressure hydrodynamics and equations of state, x-ray

radiation from high temperature plasmas, and laser-plasma interactions. The

repetitively-pulsed laser technology being developed on the NRL Electra laser under the

High Average Power Laser (HAPL) program is potentially very useful for laboratory

HEDP experiments. The requirements for HEDP experiments are much less stringent

than for inertial fusion energy (IFE), and a repetitively-pulsed capability does not need

to be expensive (e.g. while operation at 0.1 to 1 Hz is inadequate for IFE, it would

represent a vast improvement in data generation capability over existing single shot

facilities). This would allow single large facilities to handle many more users and would

permit individual users to quickly cover a much broader range of parameters and

configurations.

Federal Research Categories:

High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas

Facilities:

Nike – Naval Research Laboratory (with NNSA)

Electra – Naval Research Laboratory (with NNSA)

Department of Energy (DOE)

Office of Science (SC)

Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES):

The combination of high plasma density and high plasma temperature needed for

inertial fusion produces plasmas with very high energy densities, in excess of 100 billion

J/m3

. The studies of these plasmas and their interaction with radiation and magnetic

fields are undertaken in the FES program in HEDP, with the goal of making progress

toward developing the fundamental understanding and predictability of the high energy

density plasmas. The FES program in HEDP is designed to highly leverage the NNSA

high energy density facilities and involves research in heavy ion beam, fast ignition,

plasma jets, and dense plasmas in ultrahigh magnetic fields.

Federal Research Categories:

Astrophysics

High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas

Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science

Facilities:

Heavy Ion Fusion Science Virtual National Lab – Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Office of Nuclear Physics (NP):

Searching for the predicted novel forms of matter and other new phenomena that

might occur in extremely hot, dense bulk nuclear matter is one of the three major

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 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

scientific thrusts of modern nuclear physics research. At normal temperatures and

densities, nuclear matter contains individual protons and neutrons (nucleons), within

which the quarks and gluons are confined. However, at extremely high temperatures,

such as those that existed in the early universe immediately after the “Big Bang,” the

quarks and gluons become deconfined and form a quark-gluon plasma. Collisions of

heavy ion beams at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National

Laboratory create fleeting fireballs in which a tiny amount of matter is subject to the

enormous temperatures and densities required for the formation of a quark gluon

plasma. The distributions and properties of particles emerging from these collisions are

studied for the predicted signatures of the quark-gluon plasma to establish its existence

and further characterize its properties experimentally. These measurements may also

shed light on several key questions in nuclear astrophysics, such as the state of nuclear

matter relevant to the interior of a neutron star.

Federal Research Categories:

Astrophysics

High Energy Density Nuclear Physics

Facilities:

Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) – Brookhaven National Laboratory

Office of High Energy Physics (HEP):

The primary areas of interaction between HEP and high-energy-density physics involve

research in supernovae simulations and novel plasma-wake field accelerator

technologies performed in universities as well as several national labs. HEP work on

supernovae includes simulations of the relevant particle and nuclear physics as well as

the HEDP of matter and energy subject to the extraordinary gradients in temperature

and pressure in the supernova shock wave. Better understanding of supernovae has

wide ranging implications in high energy physics, astrophysics and cosmology, and in

particular on the mystery of dark energy. HEP is currently interested in exploring the

use of the extraordinarily high electric wake fields in plasma driven by a high-intensity

laser or electron beam to accelerate particle beams to very high energies in a short

distance. These devices have the potential to dramatically reduce the cost of advancing

the energy frontier for experimental studies of the fundamental nature of matter, and to

be the core technology for a new generation of more compact particle accelerators with

applications ranging from nuclear physics to material science, atomic physics and the

biological sciences.

Federal Research Categories:

Astrophysics

High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas

Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science

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 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES):

BES is the Federal steward of X-ray, electron, and neutron-based user facilities with

applications ranging from atomic physics to the biological sciences. These facilities are

open to the general scientific community and could be used to characterize high energy

density (HED) matter. BES sponsors research to enable dynamic structural

characterization important to advancing atomic and molecular physics, chemistry and

chemical biology, and materials sciences. BES-sponsored research includes efforts to

understand interactions of intense ultrafast (<1 ps = 10-12 s) x-ray pulses with matter

for chemical and materials sciences applications. BES also supports development of

tools to understand physical phenomena that occur on ultrafast timescales. BES is

supporting the construction and subsequent operation of the Linac Coherent Light

Source (LCLS), an ultra-bright, tunable, short-pulse x-ray free electron laser. Thus,

while BES does not fund investigations of HED matter per se, elements of BES’s

mission-driven activities enable, or are enabled by, HEDP science. BES funding is

provided on a peer review basis to academic institutions and national labs; currently

approximately 35% of the program’s research activities are sited at academic

institutions.

Federal Research Categories:

Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science

Facilities:

Linac Coherent Light Source – Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC)

National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Office of Defense Programs:

The NNSA is the largest supporter of facilities generating high-energy-density matter as

well as their scientific applications. NNSA operates experimental facilities which can

create extreme conditions of x-ray energy output (over 2.5 MJ on the pulsed power

facility ZR), ultra-short-pulse laser power at significant energy (5 kJ of Petawatt power

in the laser facility Omega EP, for example), and high energy and power (1.8 MJ in 192

beams on the National Ignition Facility (NIF), for example). The major scientific goals

of the research at these facilities are mission critical needs such as the achievement of

controlled thermonuclear ignition and burn in the laboratory and the development of

scientific predictive capability for understanding nuclear weapons. In pursuing these

goals, NNSA facilities are both instrumental to and critically dependent upon making

progress in many thrust areas of HEDP. For example, the extreme conditions of

pressure and temperature achieved by NIF will revolutionize the studies of radiation

hydrodynamics, turbulent mix, and dynamic material properties. This work at NIF is

complemented by NNSA-funded researchers, both at national laboratories and through

university grants, who use the study of high energy density astrophysics to develop

improved models of radiation hydrodynamics validated by scaled experiments at NIF. If

the Office of Science LCLS is further coupled with a sufficiently high energy laser driver,

39
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

through efforts currently being considered by NNSA, it would provide the scientific

community with a diagnostic tool for HED plasmas for studying photon-material

interactions, generating and interrogating warm dense matter, and developing

experimental techniques and diagnostics. NNSA also provides major computational

resources critical for HEDP research via its Advanced Strategic Computing (ASC)

Campaign computers such as Q, Purple, Blue Gene/Lighting, or the upcoming

Roadrunner. Researchers use NNSA-funded computers and codes in such areas as

radiation hydrodynamics, dynamic materials, and wave-particle interactions.

Federal Research Categories:

Astrophysics

High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas

Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science

Facilities:

NNSA High Energy Laser Facilities:

National Ignition Facility – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Omega Laser Facility – University of Rochester

Omega EP – University of Rochester

Z-Beamlet – Sandia National Laboratory

Trident Laser Laboratory – Los Alamos National Laboratory

Jupiter – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

NNSA High Intensity / Short Pulse Laser Facilities:

Z Petawatt – Sandia National Laboratory

Trident Laser Laboratory – Los Alamos National Laboratory

Jupiter Laser – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Texas Petawatt – University of Texas in Austin

NNSA Pulsed Power Facilities:

ZR Pulsed-Power Accelerator – Sandia National Laboratories

COBRA – Cornell University

ZEBRA – University of Nevada, Reno

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

NASA’s observatories provide a wealth of information regarding various astrophysical

sources that push the frontiers of high energy density physics. In return, laboratory

HEDP experiments provide information critical to understanding what is observed in the

sky. Thus the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Spitzer

Space Telescope, future major space observatories, and other space missions provide

details of complex phenomena whose accurate representations pose substantial

challenges to HEDP models and often require the knowledge of parameters that can

40
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

only be measured in the laboratory. In addition to experiments, theoretical

investigations and numerical simulations play an essential role in both HEDP and highenergy-density astrophysics (HEDA). NASA provides support for such theoretical

studies within its general Astrophysics Theory Program (ATP) and the Beyond Einstein

Foundation Science (BEFS) Program. NASA also provides support for laboratory-based

astrophysics in its Astronomy and Physics R&A (APRA) program. The major

observatories, such as HST and Chandra, also have their own analysis grant programs

which support theoretical and numerical studies related to the data of the given

observatory.

Federal Research Categories:

Astrophysics

High Energy Density Nuclear Physics

High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas

Facilities (operating Astrophysics Major Observatories):

Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO)

Spitzer Space Telescope (SST)

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

NIST provides some of the x-ray data, metrology, and metrological tools used in the

field of high-energy-density physics. NIST’s small scale Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT)

facility can produce very hot, highly ionized, but low density plasmas and has been

used in support of laboratory astrophysics and fusion energy research. Research at this

facility has involved a substantial number of university students, postdocs, and

professors, so it may also have a role to play in developing a user community and

training students for HEDP research. NIST has designed, built, and deployed core x-ray

diagnostic spectrometers on Omega, Titan, and several other large lasers used in HEDP

research. Microcalorimeters are being developed and tested for x-ray astronomy.

Calibration services are available in the EUV spectral range using NIST’s Synchrotron

Ultraviolet Radiation Facility (SURF) and in the x-ray regime using standard reference

spectra and measurement of exposure. A wide variety of tabletop laser research at

NIST includes the use of femtosecond lasers and frequency combs to directly produce

high harmonics.

Federal Research Categories:

Astrophysics

High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas

Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science

Facilities:

Center for High Resolution Atomic Spectroscopy and X-ray Metrology

Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT)

Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility (SURF)

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 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

National Science Foundation (NSF)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent Federal agency created by

the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 USC 1861-75). The Act

states the purpose of the NSF is “to promote the progress of science; [and] to advance

the national health, prosperity, and welfare by supporting research and education in all

fields of science and engineering.”

NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. It does

this through grants and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000 colleges,

universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science organizations and other

research organizations throughout the US. The Foundation accounts for about onefourth of Federal support to academic institutions for basic research.

Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences:

Divisions of Physics, Astronomical Sciences, Materials Sciences, Chemistry,

and Mathematics

In fulfilling its broader mission in promoting the progress of science, the NSF supports

basic research in high energy density physics as it relates to particular subfields of

physics such as astrophysics, atomic molecular and optical physics, physical chemistry,

condensed-matter physics, and plasma science. As part of the NSF/DOE (FES)

Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering, NSF supports research in

fundamental physics of plasmas, including transport in plasmas in confined magnetic

structures, non-neutral plasmas in traps, and high-field laser-plasma interactions. NSF

support in these research areas is funded primarily at universities.

Federal Research Categories:

Astrophysics

High Energy Density Nuclear Physics

High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas

Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science

Facilities

NSF Ground-based telescopes:

National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO)

National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)

National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC)

NSF Synchrotron radiation facilities:

Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Radiation Center – Cornell University

Synchrotron Radiation Center – University of Wisconsin

NSF University-based ultra-fast, ultra-intense laser laboratories:

Frontiers in Optical, Coherent, and Ultrafast Science (FOCUS) Physics Frontiers

Center – University of Michigan

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 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

Representatives from each of the TF-HEDP participating Federal agencies reviewed the

science research thrusts laid out in the 2004 NTF-HEDP Frontiers for Discovery in HEDP

report. They identified the respective agency’s mission relevance and interests related

to those science thrusts, and identified the thrusts for which the agency was a primary

Federal sponsor or thrusts for which they supported related research.

These tables represent a significantly abbreviated list of topics and cross-cutting

interests prepared by the Federal agencies with the purpose of being illustrative rather

than comprehensive. The Other Agency Interest column lists the agencies that have the

identified cross-cutting interests in the research supported by the Lead Agency or the

products of that research; these agencies may also directly fund research in the crosscutting research area.

Appendix D. Cross-Cutting Interests in HEDP

Astrophysics

High Energy Density Nuclear Physics

Research 

Thrust Area 

Lead 

Agency Mission Topics Cross-Cutting Interests 

Other Agency 

Interest 

Compact astrophysical 

objects, stellar evolution NSF, DOE/HEP 

Origin and evolution of 

structure in the universe NASA, NSF, DOE/HEP 1. Astrophysical 

Phenomena NASA, NSF Astrophysical observation 

Astrophysical 

HED plasmas 

MHD instabilities, 

plasma acceleration NNSA, DOE/FES 

Neutron star 

mass-radius 

relation 

Nuclear equations of 

state DOE/HEP 

Accretion disks Highly ionized atoms NSF, NIST 

2. Fundamental 

Physics of HED 

Astrophysical 

Phenomena 

NASA Astrophysical 

observation 

Interstellar clouds Molecular physics 

relevant to astronomy NSF, NIST 

Research 

Thrust Area 

Lead 

Agency Mission Topics Cross-Cutting Interests 

Other Agency 

Interest 

Cosmology NASA, NSF, DOE/HEP 

Interior of neutron stars NASA 6. Characterization of 

Quark-Gluon 

Plasmas 

DOE/NP Nuclear 

physics 

QGP and new 

states of nuclear 

matter Cosmic ray air showers, 

particle accelerators 

NSF, DOE/HEP 

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 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas

Research 

Thrust Area 

Lead 

Agency Mission Topics Cross-Cutting Interests Other Agency Interest 

3. Laboratory 

Astrophysics NSF Basic astrophysics Laboratory astrophysics 

 Validation of astrophysical 

models 

NASA, NIST, DOE/NP, 

DOE/HEP 

  The solar dynamo NASA 

 Validation of radiation 

hydrodynamics models NNSA, DOE/FES, NASA 

4. Heavy-IonDriven HEDP 

and Fusion 

DOE/FES Fusion Energy High-brightness ion 

beams 

 Accelerator science and 

technology; ion sources DOE/HEP, DOE/NP, NSF 

 Inertial fusion target design 

and fabrication NNSA 

 Creation of warm dense 

matter using ion beams NNSA 

5. HED Physics 

with 

Ultrarelativistic 

Electron 

Beams 

DOE/HEP Advanced accelerators Plasma wake field 

acceleration 

 Charged particle acceleration 

and sources DOE/FES, NSF 

7. Materials 

Properties NNSA Stockpile Stewardship Program 

 First principles models of 

fracture and failure DOE/BES, NSF 

 Nanoscale materials 

structures / inhomogeneities DOE/BES, NSF 

 Atomic scale materials 

structure and evolution DOE/BES, NIST, NSF 

Fracture, failure 

predictive capability 

 Characterization of new 

nanoscale materials DOE/BES, NIST 

 Stellar opacities NASA, DOE/FES 

 Planetary science (EOS) NSF, NASA 

 Fundamental condensed 

matter physics NSF 

Warm, dense 

matter, opacities 

and EOS 

 Condensed matter in 

extreme conditions DOE/BES, NSF, NIST 

8. Compressible 

Dynamics NNSA Stockpile Stewardship Program 

Compressible 

nonlinear flows 

 Mix and turbulence in 

astrophysics, supernovae NASA, NSF, DOE/FES 

 Multiphase phase fluid flow, 

granular materials NSF 

  Nonlinear dynamics NSF, DOE/FES 

9. Radiative 

Hydrodynamics NNSA Stockpile Stewardship Program 

Radiative 

hydrodynamics 

 Astrophysical radiative 

hydrodynamics, type II 

supernovae 

NASA, NSF, DOE/FES 

 Fast particle generation; fast 

ignition DOE/FES 

 Compact accelerators DOE/HEP, DOE/FES 

X-ray generation 

using short pulse 

lasers 

 Ultrashort pulse x-ray 

generation DOE/BES, DOE/FES 

10. Inertial 

Confinement 

Fusion 

NNSA Stockpile Stewardship 

Program Burn physics  Inertial confinement fusion DOE/FES 

 ICF targets  Novel materials through 

nanoscience DOE/FES 

 Effects  Modeling radiation effects in 

materials DOE/BES, DOE/FES 

15. Inertial 

Fusion Fast 

Ignition 

DOE/FES Fusion Energy Short-pulse laser 

plasma heating 

 Fast particle generation, 

warm dense matter NNSA 

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 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

Ultrafast, Ultraintense Laser Science

Research 

Thrust Area 

Lead 

Agency Mission Topics Cross-Cutting Interests 

Other Agency 

Interest 

11. Laser Excitation of 

Matter at the 

Relativistic Extreme 

NSF Basic Atomic 

Physics 

Atoms in intense 

electromagnetic 

fields 

 Nonlinear response of 

isolated atoms to 

intense ultra-short 

electromagnetic fields 

DOE/BES 

12. Attosecond Physics DOE/BES Ultrafast 

Science 

 Characterization of 

novel energetic 

materials. 

NNSA 

  Time-resolved 

molecular dynamics NSF, NNSA, NIST 

 

Ultrafast 

chemical and 

materials science 

 Single atom/molecule 

manipulation NIST, NSF 

13. Ultrafast, High 

Peak-Power X-Rays DOE/BES 

X-ray sources, 

ultrafast 

science 

 Nano-scale materials 

dynamics NNSA, NSF 

  Pulsed x-ray 

diagnostics 

DOE/FES, NNSA, 

NIST 

 

Dynamic 

structural 

characterization 

 Extreme non-linear 

optics NIST, NSF 

14. Compact High 

Energy Particle 

Acceleration 

DOE/HEP Advanced 

accelerators 

 Particle acceleration 

for warm dense matter NNSA, DOE/FES 

 

Laser 

acceleration of 

particles 

 Accelerator research 

and development NSF, DOE/FES 

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 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

Appendix E. NNSA User Facility Programs

Facility Use Policies for major NNSA HEDP facilities

As part of the ongoing Complex 2030 effort to transform the weapons complex, NNSA

is developing a policy for the operation of its HEDP facilities as national, shared facilities

for programmatic and external user needs. The major facilities covered under this new

policy are: the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National

Laboratory (LLNL), Omega/Omega EP at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) at

the University of Rochester,*

 and the ZR/Z-Beamlet/Petawatt at Sandia National

Laboratories (SNL).

Although the primary mission of these facilities is weapons and ignition physics in

support of the Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP), these facilities will also support

research in inertial fusion energy and basic science in HEDP. In addition to user groups

from programs at the Defense Program (DP) national laboratories, user groups

representing DOD contractors, fusion energy researchers, scientists from academia, and

international users sanctioned by DP will also have access to the NNSA HEDP facilities.

The policy is intended to address the optimal use of NNSA’s HEDP facilities in the

context of this broader user community of the future.

Under the new policy, each facility will have a Facility Director who will be accountable

for the quality of work and for the management systems required to maintain a user

community supporting both the applied and basic science missions. The Facility Director

will develop and implement a governance plan that defines the procedures and creates

the advisory committees that will be used for proposal solicitation and review, and for

allocation of system shot time.

A committee including broad representation from the academic community will be used

to review proposals in the basic science area. In addition to the quality of science, the

proposals will be judged for the feasibility of execution, the uniqueness of the facility to

perform the experiment, and the impact of the experiment on the facility. To aid the

development of proposals and enable the growth of the various user communities, each

facility will have a user support group that will provide technical information and

support to users for planning and conducting experiments.

NNSA expects that intermediate-scale facilities will also be covered under this policy:

Trident at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Jupiter Facility at LLNL, the

Nevada Terawatt Facility (NTF) at University of Nevada at Reno, and other NNSA-funded

facilities as appropriate. A small pilot program soliciting proposals for intermediatescale facilities was recently initiated and the first awards will be made in FY2007.

In general, allocation of system shot time on NNSA HEDP facilities for science in support of

other national missions is expected to be up to 15% annually. System shot time availability

will depend on specific programmatic demands as well as system maturity, operational

optimization, and scientific opportunity.

*

 An external user access program for Omega has been in place and funded since 1979. The National Laser User’s

Facility User’s Guide for this facility can be found at the following website: http://www.lle.rochester.edu/

46
 Interagency Task Force Report on High Energy Density Physics

Acronym List

2004 POU A 21st Century Frontier of Discovery: The Physics of the Universe 

AFRL Air Force Research Laboratory 

APRA Astronomy and Physics R&A Program at NASA 

ASC Advanced Strategic Computing Campaign at NNSA 

ATP Astrophysics Theory Program at NASA 

BEFS Beyond Einstein Foundation Science Program at NASA 

BES Office of Basic Energy Sciences in DOE/SC 

BNL Brookhaven National Laboratory 

CoS Committee on Science 

CXO Chandra X-Ray Observatory 

DOD Department of Defense 

DOE Department of Energy 

EBIT Electron Beam Ion Trap 

EOS Equation of State 

ESA European Space Agency 

FACA Federal Advisory Committee Act 

FES Office of Fusion Energy Sciences in DOE/SC 

FOCUS Frontiers in Optical, Coherent, and Ultrafast Science 

HED High Energy Density 

HED-LP High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas 

HEDP High Energy Density Physics 

HEDP/X-Games High Energy Density Physics: The X-Games of Contemporary Science 

HEP Office of High Energy Physics in DOE/SC 

HST Hubble Space Telescope 

DOE/NNSA-ICF Inertial Confinement Fusion Program at DOE/NNSA 

IWG-POU Interagency Working Group on the Physics of the Universe 

KrF Krypton-Fluoride 

LANL Los Alamos National Laboratory 

LBNL Lawrence Berkeley National Labs 

LCLS Linac Coherent Light Source at SLAC 

LLE Laboratory for Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester 

LLNL Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 

MHD Magneto-hydrodynamics 

MPS Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences at NSF 

NAIC National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center 

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

NIF National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 

NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology 

NNSA National Nuclear Security Administration in DOE 

NOAO National Optical Astronomy Observatory 

NP Office of Nuclear Physics in DOE/SC 

NRAO National Radio Astronomy Observatory 

NRL Naval Research Laboratory 

NSF National Science Foundation 

NSF/AST Division of Astronomical Sciences in NSF/MPS 

NSF/PHY Division of Physics in NSF/MPS 

NSTC National Science and Technology Council 

NTF Nevada Terawatt Facility 

NTF-HEDP National Task Force on High Energy Density Physics 

OSTP Office of Science and Technology Policy 

PCAST President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology 

QGP Quark-Gluon Plasma 

Quarks to Cosmos Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century

RHIC Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory 

SAULL The Science and Applications of Ultrafast, Ultraintense Lasers 

SC Office of Science in DOE 

SLAC Stanford Linear Accelerator Center 

SNL Sandia National Laboratories 

SSP Stockpile Stewardship Program at NNSA 

SST Spitzer Space Telescope 

SURF Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility at NIST 

TF-HEDP Task Force on High Energy Density Physics 

USAF U. S. Air Force 

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