Instrumentation for HED Science

4.0 credits

This course provides a system-level introduction to the design and analysis of diagnostics for plasma and high energy density (HED) physics, with emphasis on connecting fundamental physics to real measurement systems used at facilities such as National Ignition Facility and Omega Laser Facility. Students learn how physical observables (e.g., density, temperature, areal density) are converted into measurable signals through radiation transport, detector response, and electronic readout, and how these processes define limits on spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and signal-to-noise.