WASHINGTON, D.C. –
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) marks a major milestone with the 20th anniversary of the Mercury Pulsed Power Facility, a cutting-edge research platform that continues to enable significant advancements in the fields of flash x-ray radiography, detection of nuclear materials, and radiation hardness of defense systems.
“Mercury remains a highly versatile and configurable platform for testing particle and radiation effects on materials and systems,” said NRL Plasma Physics Division Superintendent Joe Peñano, Ph.D. “Its low-cost, high-throughput capability make it ideal for developmental research ahead of full-scale testing on the larger national facilities.”
The Mercury facility is capable of generating high-voltage, high-current pulses of electricity (e.g. “an experimental shot” ranging from 2 - 8 million volts and 60 - 350 thousand amps with a pulse 50 billionths of a second long, approximately 2 terawatts) used to study a wide range of phenomena and applications in many areas, including: plasma physics, electromagnetic effects in circuits, and materials science.
"Mercury has been a vital facility for our research community," said NRL Pulsed Power Physics Branch Head Joseph Schumer, Ph.D. "Its unique flexibility has enabled us to push the boundaries of what is possible in pulsed power diode research, and we are proud of our work in the areas of advanced radiographic diodes and radiation sources for national needs."
Since its ribbon-cutting on Dec. 7, 2004, the Mercury facility remains at the forefront of pulsed power-driven beam research, providing scientists and engineers with a unique tool to study high-energy phenomena and develop innovative technologies.
This facility is managed by a small team of physicists, engineers, and pulsed power technicians within NRL’s Pulsed Power Physics Branch. In December 2024, the team completed their 3000
th experimental shot developing advanced flash radiography sources and detectors used by Department of Energy and Department of Defense.
Through the years, the NRL team has collaborated with other national and international research institutions, university, military, and industry partners to advance the state-of-the-art in pulsed power-driven technologies and works closely with the Department of Energy.
Over the past 20 years, the Mercury facility has been used for research and development of various sources including: self-magnetically pinched diode; the vacuum rod-pinch diode; high-energy large-area diodes to be used as x-ray/neutron sources for the detection of smuggled nuclear materials; and advanced diagnostics for flash radiography such as gamma-ray cameras and x-ray spectrometers.
About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL is located in Washington, D.C. with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel.
For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at (202) 480-3746 or nrlpao@us.navy.mil. Please reference package number at top of press release.
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