The Institute for Material Dynamics at Extreme Conditions
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: High energy density science (HEDS) and matter in extreme conditions (MEC) are rapidly growing fields that span a wide physical domain from nanoscience to astrophysics, with strong links to research in energy production and transformation. We are requesting funding to support a renewal of the Institute for Material Dynamics at Extreme Conditions (IMDEC), a successful UC MRU (in existence for 3 years) which is part of a consortium that has recently been awarded funding for a major new experimental facility in the field. HEDS and MEC studies require an ability to capture system properties under inherently transient or dynamic conditions. Understanding material and chemical dynamics at extreme conditions is critical to realizing the scientific and engineering visions of the campuses for new energy technologies, to the scientific mission of LBNL for energy, and to the national security mission of LLNL and LANL. Cutting-edge research into these dynamic phenomena calls for a broad-based initiative that would increase cooperation among UC researchers. A unique opportunity exists to couple theory and simulation to experiment, involving development and testing of models of material in extreme conditions over ultrafast time- and short length-scales associated with complex transient phenomena. Since predictive capability flows from fast and microscopic to longer time- and larger length-scales, experimental validation is required to confidently predict material properties under rapidly varying and extreme conditions at engineering scale, where system simulation is often performed. Time and length scales, e.g., fs and nm, accessible to ultrafast science are now accessible to our high-performance computers and modeling efforts. The Institute will leverage recent DOE investments at the new HEDS instrument at the Linear Coherent Light Source at SLAC, the NDCX-II ion accelerator at LBNL, and the proposed collaborative Center for Bay Area HEDS Experiments. These efforts were initiated by the original IMDEC proposal, and are being realized. Further nurturing of these initiatives is the goal of this Institute. The region encompassed by UC is rich in state-of-the-art experimental capabilities for MEC, including large lasers at LANL and LLNL, and ultrafast lasers at the campuses. IMDEC will harness strengths of UC to understand materials at extreme conditions, and provide an identifiable entity for UC’s leadership in this science. IMDEC will initially have participants at UCB, UCSD, UCR, UCLA, LLNL, LANL, and LBNL. The lead campus will be UCB. IMDEC is a team of scientists, engineers, students, and staff engaged in defining the state of the art MEC science. It does, and will, represent and enhance UC’s leadership in this field to the scientific community and funding agencies. The Institute will be a collaborative, intellectual community distinguished by quality science and technology, with the ability to promote interdisciplinary work across campus and lab boundaries.