URAP

Bethany Goldblum - Professor, Nuclear Engineering

Status: Open     Weekly Hours: 9-11 hrs     Location: Off Campus

Organic scintillators are materials that emit light when excited by ionizing radiation. They are particularly attractive for fast neutron detection with applications in fusion diagnostics, nuclear security and proliferation detection technologies, and curiosity-driven science. Our group works on a wide range of aspects of scintillator science and engineering, from...

Bethany Goldblum - Professor, Nuclear Engineering

Status: Open     Weekly Hours: 9-11 hrs     Location: Off Campus

Scintillators emit light when excited by ionizing radiation. They are used in a variety of applications including basic science measurements, medical imaging, nuclear security and proliferation detection technologies, fusion-energy system diagnostics, etc. A database of scintillator properties is hosted by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (scintillator.lbl.gov) containing a variety of...

Thibault Laplace - Research Scientist, Nuclear Engineering

Status: Open     Weekly Hours: 9-11 hrs     Location: Off Campus

Photon strength functions (PSFs) quantify the probability of γ‐ray emission and absorption in atomic nuclei as a function of energy, and they play a critical role in determining radiative neutron‐capture rates that drive the production of elements in stars. In particular, low‐lying resonances in PSFs can significantly...

Raluca Scarlat - Professor, Nuclear Engineering

Status: Open     Weekly Hours: 9-11 hrs     Location: On Campus

Actinide-containing fluoride and chloride molten salts are utilized as fuel salts in molten salt reactors (MSR’s) and have applications in pyrochemical-processing for fuel recovery. However, the thermophysical property data of these salts such as melting point, viscosity, and density and the effects on these properties of varying levels...

Raluca Scarlat - Professor, Nuclear Engineering

Status: Open     Weekly Hours: 9-11 hrs     Location: On Campus

The SALT group performs high temperature molten salt experiments, with application to fusion and fission nuclear energy and critical mineral. We measure the properties of molten salts and of materials that come in contact with molten salts at high temperature (metal alloys, graphite and other ceramics and composites). We are...

Raluca Scarlat - Professor, Nuclear Engineering

Status: Open     Weekly Hours: 9-11 hrs     Location: On Campus

This project will investigate whether vapor generated from a flowing FLiBe liquid wall can interfere with the high-energy 248 nm laser beams proposed for next-generation inertial-fusion reactors, with direct relevance to Xcimer Energy’s laser-fusion architecture. The student will help develop an experimental rig to measure how...

Raluca Scarlat - Professor, Nuclear Engineering

Status: Open     Weekly Hours: 9-11 hrs     Location: On Campus

This project will investigate the feasibility of using printed microelectrodes for electrochemical sensing in molten FLiBe, with the long-term goal of enabling in-situ measurement of tritium concentration and diffusivity in fusion breeding blankets. The student will help fabricate, characterize, and test Si₃N₄-encapsulated platinum microelectrodes, studying their electrochemical...

Eleanor Tubman - Professor , Nuclear Engineering

Status: Open     Weekly Hours: 9-11 hrs     Location: On Campus

Fusion is an ongoing effort worldwide to produce a ‘clean’ energy resource. There are several approaches to achieving net energy gain that are being utilised. Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is a method of achieving fusion energy, typically using lasers to implode and heat the fuel. However, there are, and will...