Dr. Blake P. Wood Group X-2, Thermonuclear Applications MS-T087 Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos, NM 87545 bwood@lanl.gov (505) 665-6524, Fax: (505) 665-2227

This is me, immediately after 38+ hours of the Hardrock 100 Mile Endurance Run.
Do I look tired?

My life: Research, Resume', Running.

Research Interests

As of 9/17/01, I have transferred to the Thermonuclear Applications Group, X-2.  The remainder of this page describes the work I was doing before that in the Plasma Physics Group, P-24.

As part of the Pulsed-Power Weapons Physics Team of Group P-24, Plasma Physics, in the Physics Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory, I design physics experiments for the recently-constructed Atlas facility, and pursue high power ion beam technology for neutron production and materials processing.  I am transitioning out of my work on low pressure, low temperature, plasma discharges, with an emphasis on applications to materials processing. I'm primarily an experimental physicist, although "computer experiments" should be included in that definition since I spend a lot of time doing 1-D and 2-D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of liner implosions, Monte-Carlo simulations of neutron diffusion and transmission, rad-hydro simulations of high energy experiments, and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of plasma processes. I'm currently spending most of my time in the Primary and Secondary Design groups of X-division (X-4 and X-2), running their codes in support of work in X- and P-divisions.  My primary experimental efforts are:

• Design of physics experiments for the Atlas facility. This includes determining the effects of hydrodynamic instabilities and material gradients on liner implosions.
• Development and construction of an Intense Pulsed Ion Beam (IPIB), which we intend to turn into an intense pulsed neutron source. This device, known as CHAMP, is in the final stages of construction.  Once completed, we also hope to pursue materials processing applications.
• Plasma Source Ion Implantation (PSII): An alternative to conventional beamline implantation for treating large areas (up to 10 m² in our facility). We concentrate on tribological applications (i.e. wear, hardness, corrosion resistance), using nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen into tool steels, chrome, and aluminum. By altering the conditions somewhat, adherent films of diamond-like-carbon (DLC) can be deposited to a thickness of 10 microns.  This work is currently inactive.
• Metal-ion implantation/deposition using cathodic-arcs: AKA "vacuum arcs", cathodic-arcs can produce plumes of highly charged ions from any conducting material. We are investigating the basic physics of cathodic-arcs, and pursuing three particular applications: (1) deposition of DLC films, (2) direct metal-ion PSII, and (3) implantation/deposition of adherent metal-oxide, -nitride, and -carbide (ceramic) films.  This work is currently inactive.
• In the past, I've worked extensively on some topics in nonlinear dynamics, particularly on mechanisms of Arnold diffusion in coupled arrays of area-preserving mappings (specifically, the Standard Map).  I have a continuing interest in this, but not much time to pursue it.