High-Energy-Density Physics Foundation of Inertial Fusion and Experimental Astrophysics

The raw numbers of high-energy-density physics are amazing: shock waves at hundreds of km/s (approaching a million km per hour), temperatures of millions of degrees, and pressures that exceed 100 million atmospheres. This title surveys the production of high-energy-density conditions, the fundamental plasma and hydrodynamic models that can describe them and the problem of scaling from the laboratory to the cosmos. Connections to astrophysics are discussed throughout. The book is intended to support coursework in high-energy-density physics, to meet the needs of new researchers in this field, and also to serve as a useful reference on the fundamentals. Specifically the book has been designed to enable academics in physics, astrophysics, applied physics and engineering departments to provide in a single-course, an introduction to fluid mechanics and radiative transfer, with dramatic applications in the field of high-energy-density systems. This second edition includes pedagogic improvements to the presentation throughout and additional material on equations of state, heat waves, and ionization fronts, as well as problem sets accompanied by solutions.

Introduction to High-Energy-Density Physics.- Descriptions of Fluids and Plasmas.- Properties of High-Energy-Density Plasmas.- Shocks and Rarefactions.- Hydrodynamic Instabilities.- Radiative Transfer.- Radiation Hydrodynamics.- Creating High-Energy-Density Conditions.- Inertial Confinement Fusion.- Experimental Astrophysics.- Relativistic High-Energy-Density Systems.- Appendix A: Constants, Acronyms, and Standard Variables.- Appendix B: Sample Mathematica Code.- Appendix C: List of the Homework Problems and Solutions to Selected Problems.

Professor Drake works primarily in high-energy-density physics and its applications to astrophysics. High-energy-density physics studies the properties and behavior of matter and radiation at pressures of millions of atmospheres (or more) and temperatures above 10,000 degrees (or more). He is internationally recognized as a pioneer in this field. His work emphasizes the dynamic behavior of such systems, which also may be strongly radiative or magnetized. His team produces this kind of behavior in the laboratory, generally by driving a complex target with a high-energy laser. This lets the team directly examine processes that also occur in hot, dynamic astrophysical systems such as supernovae, supernova remnants, and cataclysmic variable stars. The processes they study are also relevant to Inertial Confinement Fusion, where some of his students continue their careers. Professor Drake is also known for work in laser-plasma interactions, and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.