Shock Physics
Understanding Materials at Extreme Conditions
The Institute for Shock Physics (ISP) at Washington State University (WSU) is a multi-disciplinary research organization with a strong focus on understanding condensed matter response at extreme conditions.
WSU (as the lead institution) and two outstanding academic partners – Princeton University and California Institute of Technology – conduct substantive research leading to advances/innovations in the field of Dynamic Compression Science. Multidisciplinary research activities, involving students, postdocs, and faculty members from different academic disciplines at the four participating institutions, comprehensively address the exciting scientific challenges. In addition, meaningful and mutually beneficial collaborations with scientists are undertaken at the NNSA Laboratories: Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia.
WSU is a leader in shock wave and high pressure research. The research activities, supported by the DOE/NNSA and other federal agencies, involve examining and understanding physical and chemical changes in solids and liquids under very rapid and large compressions. Using state-of-the-art experimental and computational capabilities, world-class faculty at the ISP conduct interdisciplinary research spanning the fields of physics, chemistry, materials science, solid mechanics, planetary sciences, and applied mathematics. Graduate students and faculty from various academic departments participate in the research activities.
Graduate Studies at ISP
ISP Graduate Students benefit from hands-on research opportunities in a multidisciplinary and exciting field. Washington State University graduates who have completed their research in ISP have moved on to successful professional careers
Dynamic Compression Sector at the APS
Washington State University (WSU) is leading the effort to develop and build the Dynamic Compression Sector (DCS) infrastructure and instrumentation at the Advanced Photon Source (APS). The DOE/NNSA is sponsoring the development of this first-of-a-kind user facility, which offers an opportunity to pursue fundamental science that has not been possible at any synchrotron radiation facility in the past.
Dynamic Compression Research
Dynamic compression experiments subject materials to unique conditions (very large compressions, high temperatures, and large deformations) on very short time scales resulting in a rich array of physical and chemical changes.
