Isaac Huegel

Isaac is interested in how atoms and electromagnetic radiation interact within plasmas. Specifically, his experimental work focuses on photoionized plasma--plasma driven by a strong X-ray source. This work is conducted on the Z machine at Sandia National Labs. Z is the most powerful pulsed-power facility in the world; it sends several million amps of current through many thin wires, generating a bright X-ray source. Isaac's platform utilizes the copious X-rays generated during a shot on Z to irradiate a thin foil sample and produce a photoionized plasma. The physical processes and conditions present in the experiment are relevant across a range of systems--from black hole accretion disks to laboratory ignition experiments. Through robust data analysis and comprehensive simulations, he is working on producing benchmark data that can be used to validate astrophysical and laboratory spectral synthesis codes and radiation hydrodynamics codes.