Photo by Randy Montoya (on behalf of US Government laboratory). Courtesy, Sandia National Laboratories.

"A higher-than-predicted measurement of iron opacity at solar interior temperatures"

A collaboration led by Jim Bailey of Sandia National Labs has published their extensive experimental investigation of the properties of star-like plasmas in the journal Nature. These experiments were conducted with the Sandia Z pinch (see image), located at Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico. High Energy Density Physics Research Group Member, Assistant Professor Chris Orban, contributed to the study using codes developed by The Ohio State Univesrity Astronomy Professor Anil Pradhan and other members of the Opacity Project. Formerly a postdoc in the HEDP group, Prof. Chris Orban was recently hired as an assistant professor for OSU's branch campus in Marion, Ohio. This study represents the first paper on our publication page for the year 2015. What a way to start off the year! Congratulations to Jim Bailey and the Z pinch collaboration for their ground breaking work!

An NPR interview with Jim Bailey about their findings is available at this link: http://www.npr.org/2014/12/30/374033068/scientists-bring-the-sun-down-to-earth-to-learn-how-it-works