Computational Physics at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Computational Physics at Los Alamos National Laboratory A career in X-CP Division . . . in the mountains of Northern New Mexico

Plasma Theory & Applications Group What we do: ■■

Nurture expertise in a range of plasma simulation capabilities including particle-in-cell (PIC), hybrid (PIC + fluid), magnetohydrodynamics, and charged particle transport

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Be a trusted scientific resource to LANL and the scientific community

Why we do it: ■■

To conduct research in: inertial confinement fusion; high energy density science; laser-plasma interaction; advanced concepts in charged particlebeam generation, acceleration and transport; x-ray radiographic simulation, fast-ignition concepts, high-power and high-energy electromagnetic sources; directed energy research; pulsed power physics and magnetohydrodynamic phenomena; and space plasmas

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To promote advances and foster excellence in theory and computational modeling of plasmas in a broad range of applications important to LANL and the nation

CONTACT: Thomas Kwan, Group Leader PHONE: 505-667-3447 EMAIL: tjtk@lanl.gov

Transport Applications Group What we do: ■■

Provide radiation transport-based computational and experimental assessments

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Offer independent validation of codes and modeling by comparing numerical simulations, design, and model predictions with experimental data and diagnostic measurements

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Assess radiation effects originating from the natural decay of special nuclear materials

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Extend our applications to radiation detection, assessment, analysis, and response

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Strive to understand differences that exist between simulation and experiment to gain confidence in our predictive capability

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Analyze underlying physics and modeling to influence design of meaningful simulations

Why we do it: ■■

To support nuclear weapon designers by comparing simulations to nuclear testing data to determine and understand device performance

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To address today’s US stockpile storage, disassembly, and surveillance questions

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To reduce global nuclear threats by applying radiation transport solutions to anticipate, counter, and defeat emerging foreign and improvised threats

CONTACT: Avneet Sood, Group Leader PHONE: 505-667-2119 EMAIL: sooda@lanl.gov

Materials & Physical Data Group What we do: ■■

Design, implement, and validate material models and nuclear, opacity, and equation-of-state databases to use in large-scale numerical simulation codes

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Conduct theoretical research — using techniques ranging from atomistic to continuum — in equations of state, high explosives, material strength, damage, spall, ejecta, friction, phase transition kinetics, opacities, warm plasmas, turbulence, and nuclear cross sections

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Maintain strong collaborations with experimentalists throughout the Department of Energy complex and the academic community

Why we do it: ■■

To play a major role in simulations using our material models and databases, including uncertainty quantification

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To design and analyze small-scale and integral validation experiments for materials models

CONTACT: Bill Archer, Group Leader PHONE: 505-665-7235 EMAIL: barcher@lanl.gov

Verification & Analysis Group What we do: ■■

Verify, validate, and apply uncertainty quantification to scientific simulations

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Challenge and assess the accuracy, credibility, robustness, and performance of weapon physics and weapon-science simulation codes

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Improve predictive capability of the codes

Why we do it: ■■

To ensure activities are technically relevant, scientifically grounded, and achieve maximal impact through a close partnership with weapons simulation code teams, experimental program teams, and weapon design teams

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To support the nation’s defense programs in assessing predictive capability and integrating computational and experimental science

CONTACT: Scott Doebling, Group Leader PHONE: 505-667-6950 EMAIL: doebling@lanl.gov

Methods & Algorithms Group What we do: ■■

Develop algorithms for computational modeling of hydrodynamics, high explosives, multimaterial flows and turbulence, and nonequilibrium thermodynamics

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Use and develop applied mathematics and numerical methods, including nonlinear PDEs and statistical physics

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Provide comprehensive, cross-linked expertise for developing scientific-computing-related ideas from concept, implementation, and application in novel and traditional areas

Why we do it: ■■

To facilitate high performance computing multiphysics simulations that are accurate, fast, and robust

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To enable the application of LANL simulation codes for solving national security challenges

CONTACT: Malcolm J. Andrews, Group Leader PHONE: 505-606-1430 EMAIL: mandrews@lanl.gov

Computational Physics at Los Alamos Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is one of the largest and most renowned of the US national laboratories. It undertakes research in national security applications including stewarding the nuclear stockpile, developing nonproliferation technologies, and work in energy, environment, and climate.

The Computational Physics Division (X-CP) provides a dynamic place in which to work at Los Alamos. We are involved in all aspects of computational science, using some of the world’s fastest and most advanced computing platforms for simulating a wide variety of physics problems and developing basic physics models and algorithms.

X-CP Division consists of a diverse population of employees at various stages of their careers — staff, postdocs, and students. Many members of the Division are internationally known in their fields. At LANL — a national resource of approximately 10,000 employees — the opportunity to interact with multiple scientific disciplines is readily available. The diversity creates a challenging, enriching, and unique environment.

CONTACTS: Mark Chadwick, Division Leader (mbchadwick@lanl.gov) Bob Little, Deputy Division Leader (rcl@lanl.gov) Bob Webster, Deputy Division Leader and Director of the Advanced Simulation & Computing Program (robw@lanl.gov)

About Northern New Mexico Los Alamos, Santa Fe, and Taos are located in a region renowned for its beauty and recreational possibilities. If you love outdoor activities, then the hiking, skiing, snowboarding, fishing, and numerous other activities are a perfect match for you. Northern New Mexico is equally famous for its cultural sophistication and diversity. Santa Fe and Taos, with their long history of cultural opportunities such as museums, opera, chamber music, and Native American pueblos, are only a short distance from Los Alamos.

What the Division Offers We are made up of eight groups and the Advanced Simulation and Computing Program Office.

A tour of the groups described here will give you an idea of the various areas in which we work in X-CP Division.

“Los Alamos National Laboratory is one of the crown jewels of our nation’s scientific enterprise and one of the Department of Energy’s most important, accomplished and prestigious laboratories.”

Stephen Chu, US Department of Energy Secretary

LALP-11-035 Los Alamos National Laboratory, an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC52-06NA25396.

Lagrangian Codes Group What we do: ■■

Develop, continuously upgrade, and maintain multidimensional software tools for modeling and simulation of multiphysics applications, primarily in the Lagrangian reference frame

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Develop, continuously upgrade, and maintain software tools for multidimensional geometry modeling and mesh generation for application with various multiphysics codes

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Create physics and engineering software tools using modern software development techniques

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Implement and maintain our software tools on a range of compute platforms, from laptops to desktops to the world’s largest and fastest massively parallel computers

Why we do it: ■■

To provide physics-based, predictive-capability software tools for analysis of the nation’s nuclear weapon’s systems, emerging international threats, and other multiphysics applications

CONTACT: Jerry S. Brock, Group Leader PHONE: 505-665-3210 EMAIL: jsbrock@lanl.gov

Eulerian Codes Group What we do: ■■

Develop multidimensional computational simulation tools to model highly coupled nonlinear multiphysics problems within an Eulerian numerical framework

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Develop code in an intellectually stimulating environment; working on unique cell-by-cell Continuous Adaptive Mesh Refinement schemes, shock-capturing Godunov hydrodynamic schemes, and integrating advanced physics models based on high-fidelity experimental data

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Make heavy use of the Department of Energy’s High Performance Computing (Petaflop) platforms, while advancing scientific discovery and investigation

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Apply modern software development techniques to optimize our products in a massively parallel computing environment, leveraging the most advanced computing architectures in the world

Why we do it: ■■

To deliver state-of-the-art Eulerian computational tools to LANL weapons designers in support of their US nuclear stockpile stewardship mission

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To support cutting-edge research with collaborators at universities modeling such things as astrophysical phenomena, tsunamis, and asteroid-cratering impacts

CONTACT: Michael J. Steinkamp, Group Leader PHONE: 505-667-5837 EMAIL: steinmj@lanl.gov

Monte Carlo Codes Group What we do: ■■

Provide Monte Carlo particle transport capability, with the world-famous MCNP

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Deliver technology, methods, production-quality codes, and training to sponsors (primarily US federal agencies) through researching, developing, and maintaining highquality software and documentation

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Compare with physical measurements (validation) and with applicable test problems (verification)

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Develop and test physics, variance reduction, geometry, source and parallel execution features of MCNP for a wide variety of applications

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Research new Monte Carlo techniques with our university collaborators

Why we do it: ■■

To support stockpile stewardship, nonproliferation, criticality safety, threat reduction, radiation health protection, medical physics, energy, and environmental science missions

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To accurately predict the interaction of radiation with matter

CONTACT: Tim Goorley, Group Leader PHONE: 505-665-8417 EMAIL: jgoorley@lanl.gov

Opportunities for Staff, Postdocs, and Students X-CP is recruiting staff in various technical areas. Go to http://www.lanl.gov and click on Careers.

LANL has the largest postdoctoral program of all the national laboratories.Various opportunities exist, including postdoctoral research associates and Director’s postdoctoral fellows, as well as special appointments such as the Agnew National Security Postdoctoral Fellowship and the Metropolis Postdoctoral Fellowship. For more information, go to http://www.lanl.gov/science/ postdocs. CONTACT: Bill Daughton, daughton@lanl.gov.

Various summer-student opportunities exist in X-CP for undergraduate and graduate researchers, as well as the Computational Physics Summer Workshop.

CONTACT: Scott Runnels, SRunnels@lanl.gov