[en] Edward Teller died on September 9, 2003 in Stanford, California at the age of 95. He was both one of the great theoretical physicists of the twentieth century and a leading figure in the development of nuclear weapons and broader defense advocacy. Teller's work in physics, spanning many decades of the twentieth century, includes some of the most fundamental insights in the quantum behaviors of molecules and their spectra, nuclei, surfaces, solid state and spin systems, and plasmas. In the defense arena, Teller is best known for his key insight that made thermonuclear weapons possible. Teller was both a great scientific collaborator and physics teacher at all levels, known for his openness, generosity, personal warmth, and powerful physical intuition. Many of his graduate students went on to illustrious careers

[en] Report on the progress achieved in 04-ERD-058. The primary goal of the project was to investigate new methods to provide a comprehensive understanding of how reactions between light nuclei proceed in hot, dense environments, such as stellar interiors. The project sought to develop an entirely new theoretical framework to describe the dynamics of nuclear collisions based on the fundamental nuclear interactions. Based on the new theoretical framework, new computational tools were developed to address specific questions in nuclear structure and reactions. A full study of the true nature of the three-nucleon interaction was undertaken within the formalism of effective field theory. We undertook a preliminary theoretical study of the quantum corrections to electron screening in thermal plasmas to resolve a discrepancy exhibited in previous theoretical approaches

[en] The Nova laser facility has been used to produce matter in extreme conditions in the laboratory. The plasmas are produced by imploding spherical capsules filled with deuterium and trace amounts of Ar. A spectroscopic study of these indirectly driven, inertially confined plasmas provides measurements of the plasma parameters as a function of time. Multiple diagnostics measure peak n_e∼1x10²⁴ cm^-3 and T_e∼1000 eV. A series of experiments have demonstrated that the results are reliable and reproducible. These experiments are designed to produce laboratory implosions that can serve as a ''testbed'' for high energy density matter. Measuring temperature gradients are the next step so that they can become sources suitable for studying physics such as high-density plasma effects or radiative cooling. (c) 2000 The American Astronomical Society

No abstract available

[en] In this paper, we begin a systematic study of Non-Local Thermal Equilibrium (NLTE) phenomena in near equilibrium (LTE) high energy density, highly radiative plasmas. It is shown that the principle of minimum entropy production rate characterizes NLTE steady states for average atom rate equations in the case of small departures form LTE. With the aid of a novel hohlraum-reaction box thought experiment, we use the principles of minimum entropy production and detailed balance to derive Onsager reciprocity relations for the NLTE responses of a near equilibrium sample to non-Planckian perturbations in different frequency groups. This result is a significant symmetry constraint on the linear corrections to Kirchoff's law. We envisage applying our strategy to a number of test problems which include: the NLTE corrections to the ionization state of an ion located near the edge of an otherwise LTE medium; the effect of a monochromatic radiation field perturbation on an LTE medium; the deviation of Rydberg state populations from LTE in recombining or ionizing plasmas; multi-electron temperature models such as that of Busquet; and finally, the effect of NLTE population shifts on opacity models

[en] This paper describes our recent experimental and computational development of short-pulse, enhanced-coherence, and high-brilliance x-ray lasers (XRLs). We will describe the development of an XRL cavity by injecting laser photons back into an amplifying XRL plasma. Using a combination of LASNEX/GLF/SPECTRE-BEAM3 codes, we obtained good agreement with experimental results. We will describe the adaptive spatial filtering technique used to design small-aperture shaped XRLs with near diffraction-limited output. Finally we will discuss issues concerning the development of high-brilliance XRL architecture, with emphasis on scaling the XRL aperture. Combining these advances in XRL architectural components allows us to develop a short-pulse, high-brilliance, coherent XRL suitable for applications in areas such as biological holography, plasma interferometry, and nonlinear optics

[en] We present a general theory for laser-free entangling gates with trapped-ion hyperfine qubits, using either static or oscillating magnetic-field gradients combined with a pair of uniform microwave fields symmetrically detuned about the qubit frequency. By transforming into a ‘bichromatic’ interaction picture, we show that either ${\stackrel{^<!--\; ^\; -->}{\mathrm{\sigma <!--\; ??\; -->}}}_{\mathrm{\varphi <!--\; ??\; -->}}\otimes <!--\; ???\; -->{\stackrel{^<!--\; ^\; -->}{\mathrm{\sigma <!--\; ??\; -->}}}_{\mathrm{\varphi <!--\; ??\; -->}}$ or ${\stackrel{^<!--\; ^\; -->}{\mathrm{\sigma <!--\; ??\; -->}}}_z\otimes <!--\; ???\; -->{\stackrel{^<!--\; ^\; -->}{\mathrm{\sigma <!--\; ??\; -->}}}_z$ geometric phase gates can be performed. The gate basis is determined by selecting the microwave detuning. The driving parameters can be tuned to provide intrinsic dynamical decoupling from qubit frequency fluctuations. The ${\stackrel{^<!--\; ^\; -->}{\mathrm{\sigma <!--\; ??\; -->}}}_z\otimes <!--\; ???\; -->{\stackrel{^<!--\; ^\; -->}{\mathrm{\sigma <!--\; ??\; -->}}}_z$ gates can be implemented in a novel manner which eases experimental constraints. We present numerical simulations of gate fidelities assuming realistic parameters. (paper)

[en] We have investigated the kinetics of doubly excited sodium-like copper states with 3131' and 3141' configurations, and the feasibility of photopumped x-ray lasing schemes and plasma diagnostics using transitions from these levels. These x-ray lasing schemes, like similar lasing schemes in Li-like ions, have high quantum efficiency and potentially reduced radiative trapping effects. In addition, the satellite transitions emitted by these sodium-like levels may provide valuable diagnostics of x-ray laser plasmas