Fall 2026 Colloquium

ABSTRACT- Society's greatest power demands today are being relentlessly driven by the computational needs of AI.  The provisioning of electricity to AI is perhaps its greatest bottleneck, and may also become the primary driver for renewing the supply of -- and investment in -- nuclear power technologies.  Investors are equally focused on reducing AI's power…

ABSTRACT: Avalanche Energy is developing the Orbitron, a compact crossed-field fusion device for neutron and power generation. The concept combines a radial electric field established by a high voltage with an axial, mirror-like magnetic field produced by superconducting magnets in devices with radii as small as 6 cm. Rapid iteration is central to Avalanche’s approach,…

ABSTRACT: This talk examines two approaches to making nuclear technology safer and more precise. First, I will present new measurement techniques for research reactors, ranging from tracking fuel burnup and identifying power hot spots to measuring safety-rod drop times. These techniques can help detect problems before they develop into safety risks. I will also discuss…

ABSTRACT: Gamma-ray spectroscopy has a wide range of applications, including monitoring radioactive waste from mining and oil and gas extraction, nuclear safeguards, industrial process control, and medical imaging. Although high-purity germanium spectrometers have served the field well, their cryogenic cooling requirements can make them difficult to use in the field or in settings where power…

Abstract: Optics damage is a ubiquitous challenge for high-power lasers and largely dictates the size and cost of these facilities. Here, we are developing a new technology that uses gas as an optical medium instead of solids. Our method imprints density modulations as holograms in a gas, achieved via absorption of a spatially modulated “writing…

“Tiny-but-Tough”: Sensors and Microelectronics for In-Situ Operation within Extreme Environments ABSTRACT Wide-bandgap semiconductor materials such as silicon carbide, gallium nitride, and diamond are known for their resilience in high-temperature and radiation-rich environments. This makes them promising platforms for electronics used in space exploration, nuclear reactors, combustion engines, downhole systems, and hypersonic aircraft. In this talk,…