Aeronautics & Astronautics
Uri Shumlak

Professor

shumlak@aa
Office: 432 AERB
Phone: (206) 616-1986

University of Washington
BOX 352250
Seattle, WA 98195-2250

 
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Associated Labs
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Background

Professor Shumlak completed his undergraduate work at Texas A & M University in 1987 and then obtained his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1992. After finishing his graduate degree, he was a National Research Council Associate at the Air Force Phillips Laboratory at Kirtland AFB. At the Phillips Lab, he wrote MACH3, a 3-D, time-dependent magnetofluid code for non-ideal plasmas in complex geometries. Professor Shumlak joined the University of Washington in 1994. He is actively involved in research and has been invited to speak at international conferences and to be a session organizer. He still maintains close ties to the Air Force Research Lab and often performs research in support of their applications.

Research Activities

Professor Shumlak's research areas are plasma physics, innovative magnetic plasma confinement for fusion energy, electric propulsion, and theoretical and computational plasma modeling. Work includes the stabilizing effect of flows in magnetically confined plasmas where the unstable Z-pinch can be made stable by introducing a sheared axial flow. Prof. Shumlak is funded by the Department of Energy to experimentally investigate this concept with the ZaP Flow Z-Pinch Project. A flow-stabilized Z-pinch would have immediate applications as a near-term fusion thruster for space exploration. The concept of flow stabilization would also have applications to other magnetic confinement devices and astrophysical plasmas. The flow Z-pinch concept is also applicable as an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source, which can be used for next generation lithography.

Professor Shumlak is also funded by the Air Force to develop advanced plasma modeling algorithms. The plasma models are based on the two-fluid description of a plasma, which is physically more accurate than present MHD models. The algorithm uses an approximate-Riemann solver and high-order finite element (e.g., discontinuous Galerkin) methods for studying the time evolution of plasma dynamics. The algorithm is implemented on parallel computer architectures, like the IBM SP parallel supercomputers and a local parallel "supercomputer" using a cluster of workstations connected with a fast network funded through a grant from the Department of Defense. Prof. Shumlak was also part of the "Technology for Education 2000" grant from Intel where he has assembled a cluster of Intel-based machines running Windows NT and Linux (Beowulf style). This concept is called Parallel Computing in the "Real World" because it uses computers that are common in commercial settings.

Professor Shumlak also researches electric propulsion devices such as the Hall thruster and the pulsed plasma thruster (PPT). He is investigating optimization of Hall thrusters to increase performance and lifetime while decreasing plume divergence. He is also examining PPT plumes to determine species constituency and risk to neighboring spacecraft. He currently researches a novel method to produce high current ion sources based on using ultrasonic actuators to excite unstable waves in a liquid. Small monodisperse, charged droplets are extracted by applying an electric field. The source has applications to nanoparticle spraying, composite coating, and electric propulsion.

Professor Shumlak contributed to a research effort to study using small nuclear explosions to provide propulsion for spacecraft. A magnetic nozzle was designed that redirects the spherical expansion into an axially directed flow. The magnetic nozzle design is applicable to other plasma propulsion concepts.

Funding Sources

Selected Publications

  1. W. Song and U. Shumlak, "Charged Nanoparticle Source for High Thrust Level Colloid Thruster," Journal of Propulsion and Power (Accepted 2007).
  2. A. Hakim and U. Shumlak, "Two-Fluid Physics and Field-Reversed Configurations," Physics of Plasmas 14 (5), 055911 (2007).
  3. S. L. Jackson and U. Shumlak, "Abel Inversion of a Holographic Interferogram for Determination of the Density Profile of a Sheared-Flow Z-Pinch," Reviews of Scientific Instruments 77, 083502 (2006).
  4. J. Loverich and U. Shumlak, "Non-Linear Two-Fluid Study of m=0 Sausage Instabilities in an Axisymmetric Z-Pinch," Physics of Plasmas 13 (7), 082310 (2006).
  5. U. Shumlak, B. A. Nelson, and B. Balick, "Plasma Jet Studies via the Flow Z-Pinch," Astrophysics and Space Science 10.1007/s10509-006-9218-5 (2006).
  6. A. Hakim, J. Loverich, and U. Shumlak, "High Resolution Wave Propagation Scheme for Ideal Two-Fluid Plasma Equations," Journal of Computational Physics 219 (1), 418 (2006).
  7. M. Selwa, S. K. Solanki, K. Murawski, T. J. Wang, and U. Shumlak, "Numerical Simulations of Impulsively Generated Vertical Oscillations in a Solar Coronal Arcade Loop," Astronomy and Astrophysics 454 (2), 653 (2006).
  8. J. Loverich and U. Shumlak, "A Discontinuous Galerkin Method for the Full Two-Fluid Plasma Model," Computer Physics Communications 169 (3), 251 (2005).
  9. R. P. Golingo, U. Shumlak, and B. A. Nelson, "Formation of a Sheared Flow Z-Pinch," Physics of Plasmas 12 (5), 062505 (2005).
  10. D. J. Den Hartog, R. P. Golingo, S. L. Jackson, B. A. Nelson, and U. Shumlak, "The ZaP Flow Z-Pinch: Plasma Flow Shear and Stability," Fusion Science and Technology 47 (1T), 134 (2005).
  11. U. Shumlak and J. Loverich, "Approximate Riemann Solver for the Two-Fluid Plasma Model," Journal of Computational Physics 187 (2), 620 (2003).
  12. U. Shumlak, B. A. Nelson, R. P. Golingo, S. L. Jackson, E. A. Crawford, and D. J. Den Hartog, "Sheared Flow Stabilization Experiments on the ZaP Flow Z-Pinch," Physics of Plasmas 10 (4), 1683 (2003).
  13. R. P. Golingo and U. Shumlak, "Spatial Deconvolution Technique to Obtain Velocity Profiles from Chord Integrated Spectra," Reviews of Scientific Instruments 74 (4), 2332 (2003).
  14. U. Shumlak, R.P. Golingo, B.A. Nelson, and D.J. Den Hartog, "Evidence of Stabilization in the Z-Pinch," Physical Review Letters 87 (20), 205005 (2001).
  15. U. Shumlak and T. R. Jarboe, "Stable High Beta Spheromak Equilibria Using Concave Flux Conservers," Physics of Plasmas 7 (7), 2959 (2000).
  16. J.H. Degnan, M.L. Alme, B.S. Austin, J.D. Beason, S.K. Coffey, D.G. Gale, J.D. Graham, J.J. Havranek, T.W. Hussey, G.F. Kiuttu, B.B. Kreh, F.M. Lehr, R.A. Lewis, D.E. Lileikis, D. Morgan, C.A. Outten, R.E. Peterkin, Jr., D. Platts, N.F. Roderick, E.L. Ruden, U. Shumlak, G.A. Smith, W. Sommars, P.J. Turchi, "Compression of Plasma to Megabar Range using Imploding Liner," Physical Review Letters 82 (13), 2681 (1999).
  17. U. Shumlak and T. R. Jarboe, "Higher Mode Stability in Spheromak Equilibria," Physics of Plasmas 6 (11), 4382 (1999).
  18. U. Shumlak and N. F. Roderick, "Mitigation of the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability by Sheared Axial Flows," Physics of Plasmas 5 (6), 2384 (1998).
  19. O. S. Jones, U. Shumlak, D. S. Eberhardt, "An Implicit Scheme for Non-Ideal Magnetohydrodynamics," Journal of Computational Physics 130, 231 (1997).
  20. C. W. Hartman, J. L. Eddleman, A. A. Newton, L. J. Perkins, and U. Shumlak, "Magnetic Confinement Fusion and the Continuous-Flow Pinch," Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 17 (5), 267 (1996).
  21. U. Shumlak and C. W. Hartman, "Sheared Flow Stabilization of the m=1 Kink Mode in Z-Pinches," Physical Review Letters 75 (18), 3285 (1995).
  22. U. Shumlak, T. W. Hussey, and R. E. Peterkin, Jr., "Three-Dimensional Magnetic Field Enhancement in a Liner Implosion System," IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science 23 (1), 83 (1995).
  23. T. W. Hussey, N. F. Roderick, U. Shumlak, R. B. Spielman, and C. Deeney, "A Heuristic Model for the Non-Linear Rayleigh-Taylor Instability in Fast Z-Pinches," Physics of Plasmas 2 (6), 2055 (1995).
  24. J. H. Degnan, F. M. Lehr, J. D. Beason, G. P. Baca, D. E. Bell, A. L. Chesley, S. K. Coffey, D. Dietz, D. B. Dunlap, S. E. Englert, T. J. Englert, D. G. Gale, J. D. Graham, J. J. Havranek, C. D. Holmberg, T. W. Hussey, R. A. Lewis, C. A. Outten, R. E. Peterkin, D. W. Price, N. F. Roderick, E. L. Ruden, U. Shumlak, G. A. Smith, and P. J. Turchi, "Electromagnetic Implosion of Spherical Liners," Physical Review Letters 74 (1), 98 (1995).
  25. C. W. Hartman, J. L. Eddleman, R. Moir, and U. Shumlak, "The Flow-Through Z-Pinch for Fusion Energy Production," Fusion Technology 26 (3), 1203 (1994).
  26. U. Shumlak, T. K. Fowler, and E. C. Morse, "Rotational Effects on the m=1 Magnetohydrodynamic Instability in Spheromaks," Physics of Plasmas 1 (3), 643 (1994).