People

Johan Frenje

Senior Research Scientist

Head, High-Energy-Density Physics

617-452-4941

jfrenje@psfc.mit.edu

NW17-235

Biography

Education

PhD in Applied Nuclear physics (1998)

Expertise

Inertial confinement fusion; high-energy-density-plasma physics; nuclear physics; plasma physics; plasma diagnostics; nuclear instrumentation.

Awards

DOE Secretary’s Honor Achievement Award, 2024

LLNL Director’s Science and Technology Award, 2023

The Secretary of Energy Achievement Award, 2023

Fusion Power Associates Leadership Award, 2023

Defense Programs Award of Excellence for exceeding Lawson’s criterion for ignition, 2023

NNSA Secretary's Honor Award for the achievement of energy gain larger than one, 2022
APS’s John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research, 2022
NNSA Secretary's Honor Award for the achievement of a Burning Plasma, 2021
LLNL Director’s S&T Award for the Creation of a Burning Plasma in the Laboratory, 2021
Director for Science and Technology Excellence in Publication Awards, 2018
LLNL S&T Excellence in Publication awards in Applied Science, 2017
LLNL Deputy Director’s for Science and Technology Excellence in Publication Awards, 2016 Phys.
Phys. Plasmas Referee acknowledgment, 2015
LLNL directors Excellence in Publication in Basic Science Award, 2014
Defense Programs Award of Excellence, 2013
APS Fellow, Division of Plasma Physics, 2012
National Ignition Facility and Photon Science Award, 2011

Research

Dr. Frenje’s research is conducted in the areas of High-Energy-Density-Plasmas (HEDP), Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), and nuclear physics. Together with his students, a wide range of diagnostics are built and used to support of the ICF programs at the OMEGA laser facility at Laboratory for Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the Z facility at Sandia National Laboratory, as well as to conduct basic-science experiments at these facilities. In addition, Dr. Frenje has pioneered a new field of research, called plasma nuclear science, which blends the disciplines of plasma and nuclear physics. In his pioneering experiment, he demonstrated for the first time that an ICF facility and HEDP can be used to study basic nuclear physics.

Dr. Frenje has authored/co-authored about 300 peer-reviewed journal papers. He was elected a member of the Executive Committee for the High Temperature Plasma Diagnostics (HTPD) conference in 2014; the Executive Steering Committee for the National Diagnostic Planning effort, initiated by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) (2014–); and member and Chair of the Executive Committee of the Omega Laboratory Users Group (2016–). He was also chairing the ICF-HEDP National Ignition Implosion Physics (NISP) Working Group, an effort initiated by NNSA in 2015-2018; a panel member of the DOE High-Energy-Density Laboratory Physics (HEDLP) ReNew Panel 2009; a member of the NNSA Basic Research Directions on User Science at the NIF panel in 2010; and panel lead for the Stagnation properties and burn panel, which was part of the NNSA Review on Science of Fusion Ignition in 2012. He won the APS’s John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research in 2022, and the Department of Energy Secretary's Honor Award in 2021 and 2022. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society (Division of Plasma Physics).

Publications

J.A. Frenje, “Nuclear diagnostics for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) plasmas”, Topical Review, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 62 (2020) 023001.

J. A. Frenje, R. Florido, R. Mancini, T. Nagayama, P. E. Grabowski, H. Rinderknecht, H. Sio, A. Zylstra, M. Gatu Johnson, C. K. Li, F. H. Seguin, R. D. Petrasso, V. Yu Glebov, and S. P. Regan, “Experimental Validation of Low-Z Ion-Stopping Formalisms around the Bragg Peak in High-Energy-Density Plasmas”, Phys. Rev. Letters 122, 015002 (2019).

J.A. Frenje, P.E. Grabowski, C.K. Li, F.H. Séguin, A.B. Zylstra, M. Gatu Johnson, R.D. Petrasso, V.Yu Glebov, and T.C. Sangster, “Measurements of Ion Stopping Around the Bragg Peak in High Energy-Density Plasmas”, Phys. Rev. Letters 115, 205001 (2015).

J.A. Frenje, R. Bionta, E.J. Bond, J.A. Caggiano, D.T. Casey, C. Cerjan, J. Edwards, M. Eckart, D.N. Fittinghoff, S. Friedrich, V.Yu. Glebov, S. Glenzer, G. Grim, S. Haan, R. Hatarik, S. Hatchett, M. Gatu Johnson, O.S. Jones, J.D. Kilkenny, J.P. Knauer, O. Landen, R. Leeper, S. Le Pape, R. Lerche, C.K. Li, A. Mackinnon, J. McNaney, F.E. Merrill, M. Moran, D.H. Munro, T.J. Murphy, R.D. Petrasso, R. Rygg, T.C. Sangster, F.H. Séguin, S. Sepke, B. Spears, P. Springer, C. Stoeckl and D.C. Wilson, “Diagnosing implosion performance at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) by means of neutron spectrometry”, Nucl. Fusion 53 (2013) 043014.

J.A. Frenje, C.K. Li, F.H. Séguin, D.T. Casey, R.D. Petrasso, D.P. McNabb, P. Navratil, S. Quaglioni, T.C. Sangster, V. Yu Glebov and D.D. Meyerhofer, “Measurements of the differential cross section for the elastic n-3H and n-2H scattering at 14.1 MeV by using an Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) facility”, Phys. Rev. Letters 107, 122502 (2011).

Talks & Media

J.A. Frenje, “Review of the MIT education program”, 3^rd Workshop on Education, UC San Diego, San Diego, Dec 16-17, 2019.

J.A. Frenje et al., "Nuclear Diagnostics for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) plasmas”, Mini-Course: New Directions in Plasma Diagnostics for High Energy Density and Burning Plasmas Denver, CO, June 28-29, 2018.

J.A. Frenje et al., "Measurements of ion stopping around the Bragg peak and its dependence on temperature and density in HEDP (invited)”, 59th Annual Meeting of the Division of Plasma Physics, American Physical Society, Milwaukee, WI, October 23 – 27, 2017.

J.A. Frenje et al., "Measurements of Ion Stopping around the Bragg Peak and its Dependence on Temperature and Density in High-Energy-Density Plasmas (invited)”, 10th International Conference on Inertial Fusion Sciences and Applications, St Malo, France, September 11 – 15, 2017.

J.A. Frenje et al., "Observations of residual bulk-fluid motion and low-mode ρR asymmetries at peak convergence in NIF implosions through spectral measurements of DD and DT neutrons (invited)”, 26th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, IAEA CN-234, Kyoto, Japan, October 17 – 22, 2016.

J.A. Frenje et al., "Measurements of ion stopping around the Bragg peak and its dependence on electron temperature and density in HED plasmas (invited)", 57th Annual Meeting of the Division of Plasma Physics, American Physical Society, Savannah, GA, November 16 – 20, 2015.

J.A. Frenje et al., “Measurements of ion stopping around the Bragg peak and its dependence on temperature and density in HEDP (invited)”, 9th International Conference on Inertial Fusion Sciences and Applications, Seattle, WA, September 20 – 25, 2015.

J.A. Frenje et al., “High Energy Density (HED) plasmas for studying Basic Nuclear Science and Nuclear Astrophysics (plenary)”, 21st International Conference on Few-body Problems in Physics, Chicago, IL, May 18 – 22, 2015.

J.A. Frenje et al., “Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) – One plausible approach to achieving ignition and energy gain in a laboratory (invited)”, Physics Colloquium, University of Nevada, Reno, April 3, 2015.

J.A. Frenje et al., “Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) – One plausible approach to achieving ignition and energy gain in a laboratory (invited)”, Physics Colloquium, UC Irvine, June 26, 2014.

J.A. Frenje et al., “Exploration of Basic Nuclear Science, Stellar and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis using High Energy Density Plasmas (HEDP) (invited)”, 224th American Astronomical Society Meeting, Boston, MA, June 1 – 5, 2014.

J.A. Frenje et al., “Exploration of Basic Nuclear Science, Stellar and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis using High Energy Density Plasmas (HEDP) (invited)”, 23rd Int. Conf. on the Application of Accelerators in Research and Industry, San Antonio, TX, May 25 – 30, 2014.

J.A. Frenje et al., “High Power Lasers for studies of Basic Nuclear Physics, Stellar Nucleosynthesis and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) (invited)”, INPP Colloquium, Ohio University, Mar 11, 2014.

J.A. Frenje et al., “Plasma Nuclear Science: A New Field of Research Enabled by the OMEGA laser and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) (plenary)”, American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting, Chicago, February 13 – 17, 2014.

J.A. Frenje et al., “Nuclear Diagnostics for probing Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) implosions and for conducting basic nuclear science (invited)”, Nuclear physics colloquium, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy, November 28, 2013.

J.A. Frenje et al., “Nuclear Diagnostics for probing Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) implosions and for conducting basic nuclear science (invited)”, 3rd International Conference on Frontiers in Diagnostic Technologies, – Frascati (Roma), November 25 – 27, 2013.

J.A. Frenje et al., “Nuclear Diagnostics for probing Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) implosions and for basic nuclear science (invited)”, HEDP summer school, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, July 19, 2013.

J.A. Frenje et al., "Diagnosing Implosion Performance at the National Ignition Facility by Means of Advanced Neutron-Spectrometry and Neutron-Imaging Techniques (invited)”, 24th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, IAEA CN-197, San Diego, CA, October 8 – 13, 2012.

J.A. Frenje et al., "Plasma nuclear science - A new field of research using high energy density plasmas at OMEGA and the NIF (invited)”, 240th Annual Meeting of the Division of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, American Chemical Society, Philadelphia, PA, August 19 – 23, 2012.

J.A. Frenje et al., "Using advanced neutron spectrometry to diagnose implosion performance at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) (invited)", invited talk at the 39th European Physical Society Conference on Plasma Physics and 16th International Congress on Plasma Physics, Stockholm, Sweden, 2 – 6 July 2012.

J.A. Frenje et al., “Nuclear Science using High Energy Density Plasmas (HEDP) - A new field of research (plenary)”, 11th International Conference on nucleus-nucleus scattering, Austin, TX, May 27 – June 1, 2012.

J.A. Frenje et al., “High-accuracy measurements of yield, areal density and ion temperature, using the Magnetic Recoil Spectrometer (MRS) on the NIF (invited)”, 7th International Conference on Inertial Fusion Sciences and Applications, Bordeaux, France, September 12 – 16, 2011.

J.A. Frenje et al., "Nuclear spectrometry for absolute measurements of the ICF-neutron spectrum and for basic-science experiments at OMEGA and the NIF (invited)", 51st Annual Meeting of the Division of Plasma Physics, American Physical Society, Atlanta, GA, November 2 – 6, 2009.

J.A. Frenje et al., “The Magnetic Recoil Spectrometer (MRS) for absolute measurements of the neutron spectrum at OMEGA and the NIF (invited)”, 6th International Conference on Inertial Fusion Sciences and Applications, San Francisco, CA, September 7 – 11, 2009.

J.A. Frenje et al., "The Magnetic Recoil Spectrometer (MRS) for absolute measurements of the neutron spectrum at OMEGA and the NIF (invited)”, 238th Annual Meeting of the Division of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, August 16 – 20, 2009.

J.A. Frenje et al., "First measurements of the absolute neutron spectrum using the Magnetic Recoil Spectrometer (MRS) at OMEGA (invited)”, 36th International Conference on Plasma Science, San Diego, CA, May 31 – June 5, 2009.

J.A. Frenje et al., "First measurements of the absolute neutron spectrum using the Magnetic Recoil Spectrometer (MRS) at OMEGA (invited)”, 17th High Temperature Plasma Diagnostics Conference, Albuquerque, NM, May 11 – 15, 2008.

J.A. Frenje et al., "Measurements of shock-bang timing and ρR evolution of D3He implosions at OMEGA (invited)", 45th Annual Meeting of the Division of Plasma Physics, American Physical Society, Albuquerque, NM, October 27 – 31, 2003.