When your research has the potential to break new ground, who has time to sleep?

Not Andrew Higginbotham ’09, Michael Maindi ’07 and Octavi Semonin '06 (pictured at right), three HMC physics majors who spent last June studying laser-driven nuclear fusion at the University of Texas at Austin. In their quest to complete the project, they pulled a 26-hour stint in the lab at the end of their stay.

“Research at this level involves trying to do something no one has ever done before,” says HMC's Tom Donnelly, associate professor of physics and project advisor. “To make it work, you have to be tenacious. You have to learn how to grapple with frustration and the unknown.”

To achieve their results, the student team used a high-powered THOR Laser to heat tiny droplets of deuterated water to the point at which nuclear fusion can occur, about five billion degrees.

A neutron source like this could help explain why neutrons damage nuclear weapons arsenals and nuclear-powered submarines. “But you could also use it in a much broader way to probe the dynamics of any changing system," explains Donnelly. "A neutron burst could be used to study the melting of solids, which believe it or not, is something we don’t fully understand.”

Throughout the project, the Mudd team worked closely with a team of UT graduate students and post-docs. “When we first got there, I was worried that we might not keep up with them,” says Higginbotham. “But a week into the project, we were part of the team.”

Back at HMC, the students are continuing their research into nuclear fusion with the same tenacity they showed in Austin. Higginbotham is developing the device and making other preparations for next summer’s return to Texas, while Maindi is using the droplet generator to create nanoparticles of polymers, which will be the focus of his senior thesis.