High-Energy-Density Laboratory Plasma Science | DE FOA 0003222

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003222

The Department of Energy (DOE) is soliciting new and renewal research proposals under a joint program focused on High-Energy-Density Laboratory Plasmas (HEDLP). This opportunity is run together by the DOE Office of Science (SC), specifically the Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program, and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Defense Programs (DP) Office of Experimental Sciences. The intent is to fund fundamental science in laboratory plasmas at extreme energy densities, and it is positioned as the main route for anyone seeking FY 2024 support in this specific SC-NNSA joint area to apply.

The HEDLP joint program traces back to a 2007 Interagency Task Force on High Energy Density Physics report that called for DOE Office of Science and NNSA to create a coordinated program to steward foundational HEDLP science across the department. In practice, that framing emphasizes basic scientific understanding, validated models, and high-quality experiments and theory that advance the broader high-energy-density physics enterprise. The program is meant to connect core plasma science with the kinds of high-precision experimental platforms and diagnostics associated with modern high-energy-density facilities, while keeping the focus on fundamental research questions rather than purely applied development.

The FOA identifies five technical areas of interest. First is HED hydrodynamics, which covers how matter flows, mixes, shocks, and becomes unstable under extreme pressures and temperatures. This area often includes studies of shock formation and propagation, turbulence and mixing, instability growth (for example, Rayleigh-Taylor and Richtmyer-Meshkov-type behaviors), and the ways these processes can be measured and predicted in high-energy-density experiments and simulations. Second is radiation-dominated dynamics and material properties, which targets regimes where radiation strongly influences energy transport and the evolution of the plasma, and where material behavior (including equation of state, opacities, transport coefficients, and phase transitions) is essential for accurate modeling. This includes understanding how radiation couples to matter and how that changes hydrodynamic evolution, as well as improving the fundamental data and models that govern these regimes.

Third is nonlinear optics of plasmas and laser-plasma interactions, which centers on how intense laser light propagates through plasma and how it deposits energy and momentum. Topics commonly associated with this area include nonlinear wave processes, parametric instabilities, scattering, self-focusing/filamentation, and mechanisms that influence coupling efficiency and symmetry in laser-driven experiments. Fourth is relativistic HED plasmas and intense beam physics, which focuses on plasmas driven to relativistic conditions by ultra-intense lasers or particle beams. Work in this area can include particle acceleration, beam-plasma interactions, generation of high-energy photons, and other phenomena where relativistic effects are central and where intense beams create or probe extreme plasma states. Fifth is warm dense matter, which sits between traditional condensed matter and fully ionized plasmas and is characterized by strong coupling and partial degeneracy. This area supports studies aimed at understanding thermodynamic properties, transport, ionization, and microphysics in this challenging regime, often requiring a tight integration of experiment, theory, and advanced computation.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is a discretionary grant program under the DOE Office of Science, categorized under science and technology and other research and development (CFDA 81.049). Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning the announcement does not, at the summary level provided, limit applicants by institution type. The funding opportunity number is DE-FOA-0003222, with an original closing date of February 22, 2024, and a stated award ceiling of $1,200,000. The announcement indicates it is open to both new proposals and renewals, signaling continued support for ongoing lines of HEDLP research while also inviting new efforts that align with the five priority areas.

• The Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "High-Energy-Density Laboratory Plasma Science" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.049.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-11-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-22. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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