XCP-5: Materials and Physical Data

Providing nuclear, atomic, and material models for national security applications

Applied theoretical and computational research on the physics and mechanics of materials

The Materials and Physical Data Group (XCP-5) develops, implements, and validates material models (for strength, damage, spall, and phase-transition kinetics) and physical datasets (for opacities, equations of state, and nuclear cross sections) for use in large-scale multiphysics simulation codes, with an emphasis on national-security applications. 

Our scientists and engineers conduct applied and fundamental theoretical research in statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, high explosives, materials strength, damage, spall, ejecta, friction, phase transition kinetics, opacities, warm plasmas, turbulence, and nuclear cross sections. Our techniques range from atomistic modeling to continuum mechanics to large-scale massively-parallel multi physics simulation.

We collaborate in the design and analysis of small-scale and integral validation experiments for material models and physical data and play a major role in uncertainty quantification for simulations.

We also create and maintain tools that provide the interfaces between the large-scale simulation codes and the physical property databases. We are the link between theoretical and experimental researchers, on one hand, and the large-scale numerical-simulation code developers and device modelers, on the other.

We pursue this mission in tandem with our colleagues in the Theoretical, X-Theoretical Design, and Computer, Computational, and Statistical Sciences divisions; and we collaborate with other researchers across the Laboratory, throughout the Department of Energy complex, and across the academic community.