William Herring
University of York
Co-hort year: 2025
I completed my master’s degree in mathematics and physics at the university of Durham, most significantly focusing on theoretical physics and fluid mechanics including plasma physics and instabilities. My masters project made use of the smoothed particle hydrodynamics code ‘SWIFT’ to study a scenario for the immediate formation of the Moon following a giant impact.
Since graduating, I have been employed in modelling electromagnetic sensor systems but concluded that I want to pursue aspirational technologies with the potential for a long-term positive impact. I applied to Fusion CDT with two aims: to put myself in a position to make these meaningful positive contributions; and to develop my acumen as a physicist by gaining experimental experience to supplement modelling and analysis.
My project, supervised by Dr Chris Murphy, will focus on developing and verifying back lighter technologies as diagnosis tools for inertial confinement fusion. Radiography of inertial fusion capsules can be used to image aberrations transient on nanosecond timescales, identifying instabilities and inefficient compression that may be responsible for degraded ignition. The explored back lighters will comprise of a laser-wakefield accelerator driving a bremsstrahlung X-ray source, with the intention to refine parameters such that the system is suitable for this radiography. Where the explored methods prove superior to current (typically low-quality) laser-generated sources, it is hoped that such a method may improve the ICF capsule design and refinement cycle.