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.

The resulting study was published in Journal of Plasma Physics:

• Modulated deuteron spectra observed with the magnetic recoil neutron spectrometer at the National Ignition Facility