Campus Connection

Physics lecture focuses on history and future of a clean, abundant energy source

Nuclear fusion — the reaction that produces light and heat from the sun — could be a clean and unlimited global energy supplier in the future. But the process of harnessing the energy in a controlled manner that can power light bulbs and fuel cars is still a challenge. [caption id="attachment_45563" align="alignleft" width="234"] Arati Dasgupta, of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, is the featured speaker for the 2016 Public Lecture Series in Physics at UW-La Crosse.[/caption] Arati Dasgupta, of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, will talk about the potential of a fusion energy future, as well as the history of fusion research and the challenges it presents, during a public lecture at UWL. Her presentation, “The Story of Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion: Promising Pathway to Clean and Abundant Energy.” will be at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 21, in Skogen Auditorium A., 1400 Centennial Hall. The lecture and a physics seminar on Friday, April 22, are part of the 2016 Public Lecture Series in Physics. As demand for energy increases, the search for sustainable resources continues. Fusion — the process of tightly squeezing atoms together until they merge into one — is a promising idea because it produces a tremendous amount of energy with little waste. Fusion reactions are derived from water, making them affordable and sustainable. In both stars and laboratories, fusion is achieved by heating the fuels in the form of ionized gas or plasma to millions of degrees. Yet confining and sustaining the reaction — important prerequisites for obtaining usable energy — has been a challenge. Physics seminar Dasgupta will give a physics seminar on “Atomic and Radiation Physics Modeling of High Energy Density Plasmas in Extreme Conditions” at 3:20 p.m. Friday, April 22, in 100 Cowley Hall. The unexpected discovery of X-rays by Roentgen in 1895 in Wurzburg, Germany, is the beginning of the story of ionizing radiation in modern physics. Since then, there has been a virtual explosion in the number and variety of high-power radiation sources at facilities around the world. Knowledge of atomic physics is the key to the generation and propagation of this radiation. By carefully modeling the interaction between matter and radiation, an enhanced understanding of matter created under extreme conditions of temperatures and densities can be obtained. These improved models in turn will allow scientists to refine theories about the behavior of plasmas and highly charged ions, essentially the basic understanding of matter in extreme environments. Dasgupta will give an overview of the many applications of atomic and radiation physics modeling of highly charged elements in laboratory-produced High Energy Density (HED) plasmas to cosmic plasmas. Atomic and radiation modeling of these dense plasmas will be highlighted in this talk, with a special emphasis on spectral diagnostics. About Arati Dasgupta Dasgupta is the head of the Atomic Physics and Ionization Kinetics group in the Radiation Hydrodynamics Branch of the Plasma Physics Division at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. She is a leading interdisciplinary atomic and plasma physicist whose research spans pulsed power radiation sources, inertial confinement fusion, laser-matter interaction, astrophysics and lighting. Dasgupta is a world expert in theoretical spectroscopy and in the dynamical behavior of non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) plasmas. The event is sponsored by UWL College of Science and Health and Department of Physics. For more information visit www.uwlax.edu/physics. If you go—         What: “The Story of Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion: Promising Pathway to Clean and Abundant Energy” Where: Skogen Auditorium A., 1400 Centennial Hall When: 5 p.m. Thursday, April 21 Admission: Free Physics Seminar: A physics seminar on “Atomic and Radiation Physics Modeling of High Energy Density Plasmas in Extreme Conditions” is also planned from 3:20 p.m., Friday, April 22, in 100 Cowley Hall.