2010 Major Sponsored Program and Faculty Awards - Office of ...

Umstadter, DonaldPhysics and AstronomyHigh-Energy Laser for Detection,Inspection, & Non-Destructive Testing$4,846,860 DoD-AFOSR5/15/08 – 5/14/11Banerjee, SudeepPhysics and AstronomyShadwick, BradleyPhysics and AstronomyWith support from the Department ofDefense Air Force Office of ScientificResearch, Donald Umstadter, Leland andDorothy Olson Professor of Physics andAstronomy, will complete construction of ahigh-energy laser system at the UNL ExtremeLight Laboratory capable of delivering a peakpower of 1 petawatt. This project is critical to the development andperformance of laser-driven radiation sources used for detection,inspection and non-destructive testing. The most immediate resultwill be a dramatic increase in the brightness and quality of thelaser-driven electron beams and x-rays, with applications fordetecting cracks in aging critical components and detectingspecial nuclear materials through large thicknesses of shielding.Tunable, Monoenergetic Gamma-Ray Sourcefor Identification of Embedded SNM$3,904,359 DHS-DNDO3/1/07 – 8/31/11Banerjee, SudeepPhysics and AstronomyWith support from the Department of Homeland SecurityDomestic Nuclear Detection Office, Donald Umstadter isdeveloping an x-ray source capable of distinguishing differenttarget materials embedded in thick shielding, including specialnuclear materials (SNM), and determining the target’s size, shapeand isotopic composition. By allowing rapid scanning of a largenumber of cargo containers, and enabling spot inspections onland and sea, this system would provide early detection capability,and so greatly reduce the threat from SNM. As such, it has thepotential to radically improve current cargo screening capabilitiesand transform the national security environment.AWARDS OF $3 MILLION OR MORE19