Detonation Science Blasts into a New Frontier

At Lawrence Livermore, a key aspect of stockpile stewardship includes fine-tuning and experimentally observing HE detonation processes and developing computer models to predict the behavior of different HEs. Over the last several decades, HE detonation science has progressed toward higher resolution experimental and modeling capabilities that explore initiation processes, the precise chemical reactions involved and how quickly they occur, and the specific temperatures and pressures attained.