John D. Lindl (born July 27, 1946 in Toledo, Ohio) is an American physicist who specializes in inertial confinement fusion (ICF).[1] He is currently the chief scientist of the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.[2]

John D. Lindl
Born (1946-07-27) July 27, 1946 (age 78)
NationalityAmerican
EducationCornell University (B.S.)
Princeton University (M.S., Ph.D.)
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsPlasma physics
Thesis Turbulent electron viscosity due to electrostatic instabilities in plasmas with large current shears  (1972)
Doctoral advisorJohn M. Dawson

Early life and career

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Lindl obtained a B.S in engineering physics from Cornell University in 1968 and a Ph.D. in astrophysics from Princeton University in 1972.[3] His Ph.D. thesis advisor was John M. Dawson.[4][5]

In the same year, Lindl joined the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), where he worked for John Nuckolls in the early days of inertial fusion research (e.g. optimal target design for lasers and particle beams, hydrodynamic instabilities, plasma development in the cavity and cavity design, implosion symmetry). In 1976, he was involved in the design of the first laser fusion experiments with the Cyclops laser. In 1983, he was deputy program manager for theory and target design in the ICF program of the LLNL. In 1990, he became head of the Nova Laser program to demonstrate the use of a 1 to 2 megajoule laser for inertial fusion. After the ICF research at LLNL became declassified in 1993, Lindl wrote an overview article in Physics of Plasmas,[6] which then led to his book on inertial fusion in 1997. Lindl became the chief scientist at the National Ignition Facility in 2005, whose construction began in 1997 and was inaugurated in 2009 (with the first large-scale laser target experiments).[7]

He has also recently been involved in magnetic fusion research at the LLNL's Sustained Spheromak Physics Experiment (SSPX).[citation needed]

Honors and awards

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Lindl is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received awards such as the American Nuclear Society's Edward Teller Award in 1993,[8] the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award in 1994, and the Fusion Power Associates Leaders Award in 2000.[4]

In 2007, Lindl received the James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics for "30 years of continuous plasma physics contributions in high energy density physics and inertial confinement fusion research and scientific management".[9]

Books

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  • Lindl, John D. (1998). Inertial confinement fusion : the quest for ignition and energy gain using indirect drive. AIP Press. ISBN 1-56396-662-X. OCLC 38055919.

References

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  1. ^ "Lindl, John". history.aip.org. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  2. ^ "LLNL Distinguished Members of Technical Staff". lasers.llnl.gov. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  3. ^ "Management: John Lindl, NIF & Photon Science". May 27, 2010. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "People: People of NIF, John Lindl, NIF & Photon Science". May 27, 2010. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  5. ^ "Graduate Theses | Princeton Program in Plasma Physics". plasma.princeton.edu. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  6. ^ Lindl, John D.; Amendt, Peter; Berger, Richard L.; Glendinning, S. Gail; Glenzer, Siegfried H.; Haan, Steven W.; Kauffman, Robert L.; Landen, Otto L.; Suter, Laurence J. (2004). "The physics basis for ignition using indirect-drive targets on the National Ignition Facility". Physics of Plasmas. 11 (2): 339–491. doi:10.1063/1.1578638. ISSN 1070-664X.
  7. ^ "Newsroom: Project Status, NIF & Photon Science". May 28, 2010. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  8. ^ "ANS / Honors and Awards / Recipients / Edward Teller Award". www.ans.org. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  9. ^ "2007 James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics Recipient". American Physical Society. Retrieved February 27, 2020.