Department of Energy Announces $6.5 Million for Research on High Energy Density Science

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science and DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced a plan to provide up to $6.5 million to support work related to High-Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas (HEDLP).

HEDLP explores the behavior of matter at extreme conditions including temperature, density, and pressure. Researchers study ionized matter in laboratory experiments, with potential applications to fields including astrophysics, the study of matter at the atomic scale, medicine, national security, and plasma science.

“Understanding high energy density laboratory plasmas will greatly advance knowledge in plasma physics and related areas,” said James Van Dam, DOE Associate Director of Science for Fusion Energy Sciences. “This interdisciplinary scientific discipline also has practical applications in medicine, industry, homeland security, and defense.”

This joint solicitation will provide support to develop the workforce needed by DOE national laboratories to advance both the Office of Science and National Nuclear Security Administration missions in high energy density science and inertial confinement fusion.

Applications will be open to domestic universities, industry, and nonprofit research institutions. Funding is to be awarded based on competitive peer review process. Total planned funding is up to $6.5 million in Fiscal Year 2022 dollars.

The joint Funding Opportunity Announcements titled “High-Energy-Density Laboratory Plasma Science” can be found here.