We propose to use the mature MHD production code, MACH2, to augment the existing analytic and experimental research and development of the Stationary Plasma Thruster (SPT). The SPT is a Hall-type thruster of very high efficiency, making it a promising candidate for the propulsion of microspacecraft… More

Current attempts to use the plasma opening switch (pos) for decade have not yet been entirely successful due to the apparent inability of the switch to open efficiently to a high-impedence load. research directed toward improving the performance of the pos in the long-conduction time regime has been… More

NumerEx will provide computational support to on-going Air Force efforts to develop the means to robustly initiate and focus volumetric blast weapons, such as thermobarics and fuel-air mixtures, via electrified shape charge jets . Based on detailed multi-dimensional first-principle calculation,… More

The advent of advanced scientific computation capabilities has enabled high fidelity simulations that can predict the performance of experimental tests over a wide variety of physical problems. This ability to virtually test and prototype can open new avenues of scientific inquiry by providing the… More

Volumetric explosives offer unique advantages to the development of advanced munitions. They have high energy density, excellent coupling to targets, and potentially lower collateral damage compared with existing blast and fragmentation weapons. Under Phase I SBIR funding, NumerEx has developed a… More

Novel sources are needed to provide radio frequency (RF) power for the International Linear Collider (ILC). The realization of a compact, robust, and economical source of RF energy would substantially bolster the case for building the ILC. This project will develop a novel density-modulated device… More

Multiple scale simulations are among the most challenging calculations in scientific computation, yet this capability is critical to realizing a virtual prototyping capability for devices based on electromagnetic and plasma technology. One solution to multi-scale problems is the renormalization… More

Experimental and simulation techniques will be used to advance a novel class of pulse detonation engines (PDE) initiators based on transient plasma ignition. By optimizing the interaction of pulsed power and kinetic plasma chemistry, this effort will lead to PDE ignitors that can operate under… More

In the interest of promoting precision strike and persistent area dominance, both key factors in the Global War on Terror, there is a need to develop novel means to control the explosive yield of compact munitions. We propose to develop state-of-the-art computational tools to model, design, and… More

Nonlinear transmission lines (NLTL) offer a novel technology for compact and robust sources of RF energy. By combining advanced material characterization capability and state-of-the-art electromagnetic and parametric modeling, NumerEx and General Electric Global Research will improve the… More

The understanding of high-energy-density states is essential to the achievement of inertial fusion energy. Over the next three to five years, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the U. S. Air Force Research Laboratory will attempt to use an imploding solid liner to achieve magnetic fields more than a… More

NumerEx/UCLA propose advanced theoretical and computational research in the application of the renormalization group (RG) to speed the development of advanced methods to simulate dense plasmas exhibiting critical kinetic phenomena. These dense plasmas combine a wealth of length and time scales by… More

NumerEx proposes to collaborate with the University of Southern California (USC) to support the advanced concepts, basic science, and engineering of high repetition rate multiple barrels pulse detonation engine (PDE) technology. NumerEx will support experimental developments at both USC and the… More

Electron beam optics codes are presently used in the design of vacuum electron devices. The goal in using codes of this type, such as MICHELLE, is to produce a sufficiently accurate design of a device that the manufacturer can build the tube based exclusively on that design. Devices with… More

Nonlinear transmission lines offer new vistas in the generation of high power microwave wave (HPM) signals. All electromagnetic sources use an active medium to convert electrical energy to high frequency waves and ultra-wide band signals that can perform useful work. Traditional methods rely on… More

NumerEx has developed, implemented, and applied a two-dimensional (2-d) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation model of liner compression of field reversed configurations (FRCs) based on MACH2. The model, including FRC formation, translation, capture, and liner compression, incorporates both an… More

Narrowband high-power microwave sources are under development for possible military applications. Defeating improvised explosive devices (anti-IED) and non-lethal anti-personnel effects are both of interest. The possible success of meeting the requirements of these applications can be increased by… More

ABSTRACT: Multidimensional simulation of plasmas will be critical to the design of high voltage and high energy density devices over coming decades. Individual fluid simulation codes are presently limited to one or perhaps two of three plasma models: the higher densities and longer time scales of… More