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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident
Published on: December 14, 2017
Sample test array and recovery (STAR) platform at the National Ignition Facility
Nathan W Moore1, Kate S Bell1, Haley Hilborn1
1Sandia National Laboratories, 1515 Eubank Blvd. SE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87123, USA.
Abstract:
We have developed the Sample Test Array and Recovery (STAR) platform for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) for studying the thermal and hydrodynamic responses of materials in extreme environments. The STAR platform expands the range of obtainable fluences and quadruples the rate that materials experiments can be conducted at the NIF. Example configurations are demonstrated for fluences spanning 0.56-34 J/cm2 with environmental isolation for post-shot material recovery and inspection and up to 1740 J/cm2 without isolation, with surface heating rates of up to 2 × 1014 K/s. An example experiment involving thermally driven shock and spallation of aluminum alloy 7075 is briefly discussed.
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