The Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, under Defense Programs within the Department of Energy?s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), announce their interest in receiving grant applications for new or renewal awards for research to be conducted as part of the National
Laser Users? Facility (NLUF) Program.
The Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) at the University of Rochester (UR) was established in 1970 to investigate the interaction of high-power lasers with matter.
It is the home of the OMEGA Laser Facility that includes OMEGA?a 60-beam, 30-kJ UV system with a wavelength of 0. 35 m; and OMEGA EP?a 4-beam system with 2 beams operating at energies up to 6. 5 kJ UV with 10-ns duration ( 0. 35 m), and 2 beams that can operate either at energies up to 6. 5 kJ UV with 10-ns duration ( 0. 35 m) or as petawatt laser beams with up to 2. 6 kJ IR ( 1. 054 m) with a 10-ps duration.
The National Laser Users? Facility (NLUF) program is part of the Joint Program in High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas, which is sponsored jointly by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Science, and the Office of Fusion Energy, Office of Science.
The NLUF program financial assistance awards are processed through the NNSA Contracts and Procurements Division in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The NLUF provides access to the OMEGA Laser Facility for University and Industrial Scientists.
The OMEGA Laser Facility is maintained and operated for NLUF participants by the UR/LLE for the DOE/NNSA.
Approximately 17% of the OMEGA and OMEGA EP operating time will be available for the NLUF in Fiscal Years 2015 and 201 6. UR/LLE researchers are available for scientific collaboration and for assistance with user experiments.
Principal Investigators are encouraged to collaborate with UR/LLE staff members.
The NLUF offers opportunities for University and Industrial Scientists to perform experiments in high-energy-density (HED) physics and inertial confinement fusion (ICF), including laser?matter interactions, such as laboratory astrophysics, properties of materials under HED conditions, laser?plasma instabilities, etc.
For a broad review of HED physics, see the National Research Council report, ?Frontiers in High Energy Density Physics:
The X-Games of Contemporary Science? (copyright 2003, National Academy Press, Washington, DC).
Many of the physics regimes outlined in this report are accessible using the OMEGA Laser Facility.
For information about the facilities and further information about the NLUF program, including a User?s Guide, please visit:
http://www.lle.rochester.edu./