Research

Research Project: Applied Nuclear Science and Engineering Research for Nuclear Security

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PI: Dr. Kyle C. Hartig

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Institution/Department: Nuclear Engineering Program, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering

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Time Affiliated with Project: August 2024 - present

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Research Focus & Project Responsibilities: This project incorporates advanced optical diagnostics—laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, Raman scattering, time-resolved fluorescence, and fast-gated imaging—to probe the electronic structure and reactive chemistry of actinide materials and their surrogates. Leveraging the Optical Science & Nonproliferation Group’s recent demonstrations that laser ablation can reproduce the turbulent oxidation and combustion dynamics of post-detonation fireballs—including cerium- and aluminum-based surrogate studies that map plume redox kinetics and particle evolution, as well as DTRA and NNSA-funded work linking plasma chemistry to prompt nuclear-forensics observables—the student will design experiments on safeguarded actinides, collect high-resolution spectral and imaging data, and couple chemometric analysis with plume-chemistry modeling to extract compositional, oxidation-state, and kinetic signatures relevant to rapid device attribution. 

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