James N. Johnson wins George E. Duvall Shock Compression Science Award

May 3, 2011—James N. Johnson has received the American Physical Society’s 2011 George E. Duvall Shock Compression Science Award. A longtime Lab employee and retiree, Johnson currently serves as a consultant in the Laboratory's Physics and Chemistry of Materials group.

The George E. Duvall Shock Compression Science Award is given to recognize contributions to understanding condensed matter and non-linear physics through shock compression. This award is presented biennially and consists of a cash award of $5,000, a plaque citing the accomplishments of the recipient, and an allowance for travel to the meeting at which it is presented.

Johnson’s citation notes that he was honored “in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the understanding of crystal anisotropy effects, phase transformations, tensile fracture, and chemical reactions in shock compressed condensed matter.”

His research includes rate-dependent plastic deformation, fracture, solid explosive initiation, and shock-induced phase transformations. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and received a Los Alamos Distinguished Performance Small Team Award for his research accomplishments. Johnson was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Mu Sigma Delta Scholastic Honor Society and won the Mathematics Award while at the University of Puget Sound.

Johnson earned a doctorate in physics from Washington State University. After post-doctoral study with George Duvall at Washington State, he worked at Sandia Laboratories and then at Terra Tek, Inc.  Johnson joined LANL’s Theoretical Division in 1976 and spent a sabbatical year (1985-86) at the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. Johnson retired from the Laboratory in 1999 but remains active in shock-wave research through continued affiliations with the Laboratory and the Institute for Shock Physics at Washington State University.