Laser Modeling Physicist

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory • Livermore, CA

73d • $140,700 - $214,032

About The Position

We are seeking a Laser Modeling Physicist within our Laser Science and Systems Engineering Program to participate in the research, development, and modeling of advanced solid state laser technology, and high energy laser design for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). This work will take place within the National Ignition Facility & Photon Science (NIF&PS) Directorate, home to the world's most energetic laser. It is an exciting time to join the team that achieved fusion ignition in December 2022, a historic moment in science, opening up new physics regimes and setting the stage for new Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) possibilities. You will perform design, modeling, and commissioning of cutting-edge laser technology development and potentially execute experiments to verify and validate advanced laser concepts relevant to ICF laser driver architectures, laser propagation/amplification, linear and nonlinear optics and laser matter interaction research. This position is in the National Ignition Facility and Photon Science (NIF&PS) Principal Associate Directorate (PAD).

Requirements

• Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship.
• Ph.D. in Optical Sciences, Physics, Engineering or Mathematics or the equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• Comprehensive knowledge in experimental physics in one or more of the following areas: solid state lasers, laser cavities, short pulse laser technology, frequency conversion, non-linear optics.
• Comprehensive problem solving, decision making, and analytical skills necessary to implement solutions to moderately complex to complex issues.
• Broad experience with MATLAB, Python and/or similar scripting and data analysis tools.
• Broad experience and comprehensive knowledge in signal and image processing of laser diagnostics signals.
• Proficient written and verbal communication skills to collaborate effectively in a team environment.

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of laser architectures, technological limitations, and machine safety aspects of large, distributed, high energy and high peak power laser facilities.
• Experience in planning and directing work with technical objectives, estimating effort, and setting milestones.
• Experience in the development of scientific software (ideally C++) applied to laser physics and nonlinear optics problems.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development of advanced laser physics and nonlinear optics models coupled with the existing LLNL beam propagation code VBL++ running on both single and extreme parallel-processor high performance computers.
• Collaborate with the Computer Science team and provide solutions to experiments that will validate the physics captured in the thermo-mechanical codes used to predict the impact of thermal and mechanical effects on beam quality.
• Work within a dynamic team environment to document research; publish papers in peer-reviewed journals, and present results within the DOE community and at conferences.
• Utilize independent judgement along with scientific methods and techniques, contributing to the fulfillment of research and development in areas such as modeling and experimental testing of optical parametric short pulse amplifiers, solid state laser materials science, and design of advanced laser architectures.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Flexible Benefits Package
• 401(k)
• Relocation Assistance
• Education Reimbursement Program
• Flexible schedules depending on project needs

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees