Kaan Aytekin, a junior at the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences at the University of Rochester and a member of LLE’s Undergraduate Education Program, has just won an Outstanding Poster Award at the 2024 APS Division of Plasma Physics conference! His presentation, entitled “Fast Free-Free Absorption Coefficient Calculations Including Plasma Screening,” was selected from over 150 other student posters. Only five presentations at the conference received this award.
About the Research
Kaan, alongside his mentor, Dr. Nathaniel Shaffer from the University of Rochester, wrote a code that computes quantum mechanical correction factors for the absorption cross section called the Gaunt factor, with which the free–free absorption coefficients can be calculated. Free–free absorption is the key absorption mechanism in inertial confinement fusion plasma conditions; however, based on their results, models for free–free absorption often don’t incorporate plasma screening, which is necessary in laser-fusion conditions. The code generates tables of Gaunt factors for wide-ranging energy levels. Kaan and the team are currently in the process of using these tables to develop an analytical expression for the screened Gaunt factor for use in opacity and hydrodynamics codes.
LLE’s Undergraduate Program
Our robust undergraduate program offers students from the University of Rochester and other institutions an unparalleled learning opportunity to conduct research alongside our top-notch faculty on a wide range of fields including inertial confinement fusion, high-energy-density physics, laser–plasma interaction, and laser and optics sciences. Learn more.
