The science of dynamic compression at the mesoscale and the Matter-Radiation Interactions in Extremes (MaRIE) project

A scientific transition is underway from traditional observation and validation of materials properties to a new paradigm where scientists and engineers design and create materials with tailored properties for specified functionality. Of particular interest are the regimes of materials' response to thermo-mechanical extremes including materials deforming under imposed strain rates above the quasi-static range (i.e. > 10^-3 s^-1), material subjected to imposed shocks, but also material response to static, high-pressures. There is a need for the study of materials at the "mesoscale," the scale at which sub-granular physical processes and inter-granular organization couple to determine microstructure, crucially impacting constitutive response at the engineering macroscale. For these reasons Los Alamos is proposing the MaRIE facility as a National User Facility to meet this need. In particular, three key science challenges will be identified: Link material microstructure to macroscopic behavior under dynamic deformation conditions; Make the transition from observation and validation to prediction and control of dynamic processes; and Develop the next generation of diagnostics, dynamic drivers, and predictive models to enable the necessary, transformative research.