Jay LaVerne

Research Interests

Radiation effects in condensed phases are due to complex interactions between the transport of energy, the decomposition of medium molecules, and the diffusion and reaction of transient species. The program is multidisciplinary, ranging from probing the fundamental physics and chemistry associated with the interaction of radiation with matter to examining the practical consequences of that radiolysis in biology, medicine, and engineering. Short-lived species and their kinetics are determined experimentally in the radiolysis of water, organics, and polymers with a wide variety of radiation types and energy using the facilities of the Notre Dame Radiation Laboratory and the Department of Physics Nuclear Structure Laboratory. Interfacial radiation effects involving the transport of energy and matter through heterogeneous boundaries are being explored for identification of the underlying mechanisms and for application to nuclear reactor technology and the environmental management of radioactive waste materials. Astrochemical and astrobiological studies are simulating the radiation ageing of cosmic ices within the laboratory for comparison with astrophysical observations and for predicting the formation of molecules important in the evolution of life.