MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center

Modulated deuteron spectra observed by the MRS

During my exchange year at MIT, I worked with Dr. Maria Gatu Johnson’s High Energy Density Physics group to investigate unexpected ion-energy modulations observed by the Magnetic Recoil Spectrometer at the National Ignition Facility.

I used the particle-in-cell code EPOCH to study possible physical origins of these modulations. The work matters because the MRS diagnoses key implosion parameters, and spectral structure can affect inferred quantities.