Life Update:

Officially converted to staff scientist halfway through my postdoc ✨

Celebrated by presenting on nuclear data measurements in high energy density plasmas at NIF in no better place than Hawaii 🌸

+1 PhD for radiochemistry 🎉

@rsudowe.bsky.social

Do I actually have to wear pants to work everyday? Is this not lab safe attire?

I just bought this one & I still prefer my 30 year old Buchi 😂

Can’t forget years worth of thrifting that brought me some first edition assets

The decor of a nuclear chemist ☢️

I returned to my undergrad to give a seminar on using fusion to support astrophysics & stockpile stewardship today. Not only was it my first seminar that was a full house, but chemistry, physics, political science, and anthro students came… the day before thanksgiving break!!

Wait maybe I did miss New Mexico

The large neutron flux, short burn time (100 ps), high temp (>100M C), and high pressures create a high energy density, thermonuclear environment that we use to study reactions on rare, ☢️ elements. With this data we can learn how heavy elements are formed in space & support national security.

Once we dope these capsules with ~10^13 atoms, they are filled with DT fuel, built into target assemblies, & placed at the center of the target chamber. Using 192 laser beams, these capsules compress allowing fusion to occur. This creates the highest flux of 14.1 MeV neutrons in the world.

These capsules are TINY (2mm diameter) with a 10um fill hole that even ngs of Na, K, Ca will plug, so tedious chemistry to ensure both isotopic & solution purity is needed. We also have to develop systems that allow us to fill the capsules with as little as 1uL of very radioactive solutions

A NIF target assembly would be so sick for a seminar show & tell but I fear TSA would snatch that right up