For more than 50 years the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) has provided the scientific underpinnings in nuclear physics and material science needed to ensure the safety and surety of the nuclear stockpile into the future. In addition to national security research, the LANSCE User Facility has a vibrant research program in fundamental science, providing the scientific community with intense sources of neutrons and protons to perform experiments supporting civilian research and the production of medical and research isotopes. This talk will talk through the current and future opportunities at LANSCE. As an example of applications of scattering techniques, I will present work on understanding the mechanisms of phase transition in polytetrafluoroethylene under static and dynamic loading.
Dr. Eric N. Brown is the Director of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) and Senior Director in the Associate Laboratory Directorate for Physical Sciences at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Since joining LANL in 2003 as a Director’s Postdoctoral Fellow, he has led research in dynamic fracture, energetic materials, and neutron science, progressing through leadership roles including Group Leader, Division Leader, and national program advisor. He previously served as Technical Advisor to the Joint DoD/DOE Munitions Program at the Pentagon and has shaped major institutional initiatives such as the LANSCE Modernization Project (LAMP). Dr. Brown is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Society for Experimental Mechanics, and the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Dynamic Behavior of Materials. He holds a Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where his doctoral work pioneered the field of self-healing materials.