‘Extreme’ science of shock-wave physics (video)

 

 

SEATTLE – From innovations in military armor to the pursuit of clean energy through fusion, shock-wave physics research is at the core of many scientific advances vital to our nation’s security.

 

Yogendra M. Gupta, Regents professor of physics and director of the Institute for Shock Physics, stands with his colleagues at the forefront of this exciting new field – compressing materials to extreme pressures in a billionth of a second (or less) to understand the fundamental response of materials at these extreme conditions.

 

Gupta

Through the institute’s Spokane-based Applied Sciences Laboratory and unique collaborations with the U.S. National Laboratories, Gupta’s team is pursuing practical applications for national security and energy sustainability – whether in developing the military’s next generation of body armor or exploring the potential to generate energy without carbon emissions.

 

Gupta will be in Seattle to present a lecture, “Extreme Science: Research innovations to address national security needs,” as part of WSU’s continuing “Innovators” lecture series. The presentation will be at noon Wednesday, Nov. 17, at the Metropole in the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Luncheon registration is available online at www.theinnovators.wsu.edu or by calling 877-978-3868. Lunch is $45 per person.

 

Prior to joining the WSU Department of Physics in 1981, Gupta spent nearly seven years at the Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International), preceded by two years of postdoctoral research. Over the past 40 years, his scientific activities have emphasized experimental and theoretical studies in the field of shock wave and high pressure research related to structural changes in crystalline solids; inelastic deformation of a wide variety of materials; chemical reactions in condensed energetic materials; and non-linear wave propagation.