Optical Spectroscopy of Laser-Produced Plasmas - Nuclear Nonproliferation Applications

Abstract:

Optical spectroscopy is one of the most established plasma diagnostic tools.  The basics of optical spectroscopy include analyzing atomic and molecular line radiations, which can be used for diagnosing laser-produced plasma (LPP) through the knowledge of plasma spectroscopy. In this presentation, the applications of optical spectroscopy (emission, absorption, and laser-induced fluorescence) of LPP will be discussed in the context of nuclear nonproliferation.

 

About Speaker: 

Dr. Sivanandan S. Harilal is working as chief scientist in the National Security Directorate, at the DOE Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Washington, USA.  His research interests include laser-plasma interaction, plasma chemistry, plasma and fireball spectroscopy, and materials under extreme environments.  Dr. Harilal received a Ph.D. degree in plasma physics from Cochin University of Science & Technology, in 1998 and was an Alexander Humboldt fellow at Ruhr University of Bochum during 1999-2001.  Prior to joining PNNL in 2014, he worked as an associate professor at the School of Nuclear Engineering, Purdue University, Indiana, USA.  He also holds an affiliate research professor position at the Department of Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington. Dr. Harilal is a fellow of Optical Society of America (now Optica) and SPIE,  and associate editor of Optics Express, and Spectrochimica Acta B.