Physics and Advanced Technologies 2001 Annual Report

Abstract

The Physics and Advanced Technologies (PAT) Directorate was created in July 2000 by Bruce Tarter, Director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The Director called for the new organization to execute and support programs that apply cutting-edge physics and advanced technology to develop integrated solutions to problems in national security, fusion energy, information science, health care, and other national grand challenges. When I was appointed a year later as the PAT Directorate's first Associate Director, I initiated a strategic planning project to develop a vision, mission, and long-term goals for the Directorate. We adopted the goal of becoming a leader in frontier physics and technology for twenty-first-century national security missions: Stockpile Stewardship, homeland security, energy independence, and the exploration of space. Our mission is to: (1) Help ensure the scientific excellence and vitality of the major LLNL programs through its leadership role in performing basic and applied multidisciplinary research and development with programmatic impact, and by recruiting and retaining science and technology leaders; (2) Create future opportunities and directions for LLNL and its major programs by growing new program areas and cutting-edge capabilities that are synergistic with, and supportive of, its national security mission; (3) Provide a direct conduit tomore » the academic and high-tech industrial sectors for LLNL and its national security programs, through which the Laboratory gains access to frontier science and technology, and can impact the science and technology communities; (4) Leverage unique Laboratory capabilities, to advance the state universe. This inaugural PAT Annual Report begins a series that will chronicle our progress towards fulfilling this mission. I believe the report demonstrates that the PAT Directorate has a strong base of capabilities and accomplishments on which to build in meeting its goals. Some of the highlights include: (1) Leadership of the Laboratory's Physical Data Research Program that provides fundamental physics information for the Stockpile Stewardship Program. (2) Development of the handheld Microbead Immunoassay Dipstick System that will allow relatively untrained first-responders to run sophisticated onsite diagnostics for pathogens, including those associated with biowarfare agents, by using a simple, one-step measurement. (3) Major advances in target design for inertial fusion energy research using both laser and ion-beam drivers. (4) Development of the Advanced Technology Kill Vehicle concept for use as a high-performance interceptor in a broad range of missile defense programs. Over the course of the past decade, the Laboratory has seen its major program evolve from weapons research, development, and testing, to Stockpile Stewardship. Today, the country's national security priorities are changing rapidly: nuclear security is becoming a broader set of missions, and the Laboratory is being asked to contribute to a range of new mission areas from countering bioterrorism to ensuring information security. As we embark on the twenty-first century, the new PAT Directorate is poised to help lead the Laboratory's response to the country's changing national security needs.« less