{"id":2439,"date":"2020-07-07T00:49:24","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T00:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thomasgwhite.com\/index.php\/mesmerize\/"},"modified":"2025-12-18T00:23:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T00:23:49","slug":"mesmerize","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thomasgwhite.com\/","title":{"rendered":"Front Page"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMIPSE Interview Live\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

I recently gave a talk at the University of Michigan as part of the Michigan Institute for Plasma Science and Engineering (MIPSE) Seminar Series. After the talk, the MIPSE team[…]<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead more\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMeasuring Temperature in Extreme States\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Our latest paper, published in Nature, reports the first direct measurements of ion temperature in a superheated solid. By combining ultrafast laser heating with meV-resolution inelastic X-ray scattering, we showed[…]<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead more\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNew Publication!\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

I\u2019m excited to share that my latest paper, published in Nature Communications with former graduate student Cameron Allen, confirms a 200-year-old prediction by Fourier\u2014this time in high-energy-density plasmas. We observed[…]<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead more\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProbing the Hottest Matter with Unprecedented Precision at European XFEL\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

This past week, my collaborators and I wrapped up an exciting experiment at the European XFEL, where we used high-resolution meV inelastic X-ray scattering to measure temperatures inside matter heated[…]<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead more\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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SEE ALL BLOG POSTS<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
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High Energy Density Physics<\/h2>\n

High Energy Density Physics is the study of matter at pressures above 1 Mbar, or around 1 Million atmospheres. Such matter is common throughout the universe, existing in planetary interiors (both solar- and exo-planets), the crusts of neutron stars and during the path to inertial confinement fusion.<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/i><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Warm Dense Matter<\/h5>\n

This compressed state is typically defined by temperatures of tens of thousands of Kelvin and densities comparable with those of solids. It is a complex state of matter where multi-body particle correlations and quantum effects must be considered. With relatively few observational data points we much turn to both simulations and experiments to understand their properties. For example: What is the pressure at the center of Jupiter? What is the sound-speed or viscosity at the center of Trappist-1e? An Earth-sized exo-planet just 40 light-years away!<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n

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Inertial Confinement Fusion<\/h5>\n

Inertial confinement fusion efforts use high-powered lasers to compress small captules of Deuterium and Tritium to extremely high densities. These capsules reach temperatures in excess of 100 million degrees Celcius and, for a very small period of time, a mini version of a star is created. The goal of all this work is create an unlimited, clean energy source here on earth that can help us deal with the dwindling supply of fossil fuels and other natural resources.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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Laboratory Astrophysics<\/h2>\n

In laboratory astrophysics we recreate an aspect or phenomena of an astrophysical situation in the lab. By creating thse space plasmas here on Earth they can be studied in great detail. Our findings aid our interpretation and understanding of both observational and computational astrophysics.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Supersonic Turbulence<\/h5>\n

In our most recent work we investigated the statistical properties of supersonic turbulence; the faster-than-sound stochastic motion of the plasma. Understanding how these plasmas behave informs our understanding of molecular clouds and the processes within, including star formation.<\/p>\nMore Details<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n

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High-Powered Lasers<\/h5>\n

On Earth, we can generate high energy density states of matter using high-powered lasers. These lasers rapidly deposit large quantities of energy into an extremely small area and, on a nanosecond timescale, are capable of reproducing a multitude of astrophysical situations. We perform experiments on table-top laser facilities here at UNR, the larger laser in the world \u2013 the National Ignition Facility, and the three kilometer long next generation light source \u2013 LCLS.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Numerical Simulations<\/h2>\n

In order to model our experiments we perform a number of simulations across a range of temporal and spatial scales. Atomistic simulations that employ molecular dynamics are capable of following the trajectory of every particle. If we attempt to treat the electron fully quantum mechanically, such as in Density Functional Theory or Wave Packet Molecular Dynamics, we are limited to systems of just a few hundred ions, even when utilizing highly parallelized high-performance computing systems. Classical simulations employ the Born-Oppenheimer approximation to avoid treating the electrons, but in doing so are able to treat systems consisting of a few millions atoms. However, this still represents micron sized systems, around 1\/100th of the size of a human hair. To model even larger systems we must resort to continuum methods such as magneto-hydrodynamics.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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Recent Publications<\/h5>\n1. White, Thomas G., et al. \u201cSuperheating gold beyond the predicted entropy catastrophe threshold\u201d Nature 643, 950\u2013954 (2025)<\/a>\n\n2. Allen, Cameron H., et al. \u201cMeasurement of interfacial thermal resistance in high-energy-density matter\u201d Nature Communications 16, 1983 (2025)\n<\/a>\n\n3. White, Thomas G., et al. \u201cSpeed of sound in methane under conditions of planetary interiors.\u201d Physical Review Research 6.2, L022029 (2024)<\/a>\n
A complete list of publications can be found on my google scholar page.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\nGoogle Scholar<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n
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Talks, <\/span>podcasts, <\/span>and outreach<\/h2>\n

Dr Thomas White discussing Explosions, Lasers and Supernova <\/b>at a recent happy hour with a scientist event in the Laughing Planet Restaurent in Reno, NV.  Payment for this event was a free beer (shown in the bottom left of the photo).<\/p>\n

College of Science Inaugural Podcast:<\/b><\/a> Over 100 years after Einstein predicted gravitational waves, LIGO scientists confirmed their existence with precise detectors. Listen to LIGO physicist Dr. Gabriela Gonz\u00e1lez discuss the discovery, lasers in space, and science communication with Physics professors Drs. Richard Plotkin and Thomas White<\/p>\nSagebrushers S3E4:<\/strong><\/a> In this episode of Sagebrushers, University of Nevada, Reno President Brian Sandoval speaks with Associate Professor Thomas White. White researches space not by gazing at the sky, but by replicating astrophysical conditions in the laboratory, effectively creating mini-planets and stars.\n\n<\/div>\n

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Our Team<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Thomas White<\/h4>\n

Associate Professor<\/p>\n\n

<\/i><\/a> <\/i><\/a> <\/i><\/a> <\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Sarah Shores Prins<\/h4>\n

Graduate Student<\/p>\n\n

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Michael Larsen<\/h4>\n

Graduate Student<\/p>\n\n

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Damien Batayeh<\/h4>\n

Graduate Student<\/p>\n\n

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Brittany Callin<\/h4>\n

Graduate Student<\/p>\n\n

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Hunter Stramel<\/h4>\n

Undergraduate Student<\/p>\n\n

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Aleah Baffico<\/h4>\n

Undergraduate Student<\/p>\n\n

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\n\nMeet Our Alumni<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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SEE ALL BLOG POSTS High Energy Density Physics High Energy Density Physics is the study of matter at pressures above 1 Mbar, or around 1 Million atmospheres. Such matter is common throughout the universe, existing in planetary interiors (both solar- and exo-planets), the crusts of neutron stars and during the path to inertial confinement fusion. Photo Credit:…
Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/homepage.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2439","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomasgwhite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomasgwhite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomasgwhite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomasgwhite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomasgwhite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2439"}],"version-history":[{"count":133,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomasgwhite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3147,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomasgwhite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2439\/revisions\/3147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomasgwhite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}