Alexander N Tronchin-James
Center for Energy Research, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
University of California, San Diego
EBU2 373, 9500 Gilman Drive, mailcode:0417
La Jolla, CA 92093-0417, USA
+1(949)412-7220
Interests
- Nuclear fusion, plasma physics, plasma/material interactions, laser plasmas, plasma processing of semiconductors, radiation detection
- Alternative energy sources, energy storage, amateur radio communication and design, automated GPS navigation, amateur aircraft
Education
- PhD Student, Engineering-Physics: began Fall 2005 Univ of California San Diego, Dept of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering;
C.Phil Spring 2009, committee chair George R Tynan - MS Engineering Physics: November 17, 2006 Univ of California San Diego
- attended Univ of Rochester HEDP Summer school hosted at UC Berkeley, Clark Kerr Campus: Summer 2005
- BS Physics: June 2005 Univ of California San Diego
- AA Math, Physics, and Engineering: August 7, 2003 Saddleback College. Mission Viejo, CA
Research/teaching history
- UCSD Center for Energy Research and General Atomics with George Tynan and Eric Hollmann, Fall 2005-Present
Investigation of runaway electron generation and transport at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility - Private tutoring of math and science topics from high-school through graduate level, 2000-Present
- UCSD Scripps Institution of Oceanography Marine Electromagnetic Lab with Steve Constable, Spring 2008
Assisted ship based controlled source electromagnetic ocean bottom tomographic surveys - UCSD Physics Deptartment with C Fred Driscoll, Fall 2007
Teaching assistant for Physical Measurements, a PIC microprocessor based project design course - UCSD Center for Energy Research and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory with George Tynan, Seigfried Glenzer, and Dustin Froula; Summer 2005
Investigation of non-local electron heat transport at the LLNL Jupiter laser facility's Janus experiment - Scripps Institution of Oceanography with Debi Kilb, Summer 2005
Seismic Sites geographical surveying, exploration, and documenting visible evidence of seismic activity - UCSD Center for Energy Research with George Tynan, Summer 2004
Spectroscopic particle temperature measurement on the Controlled Source Decorrelation eXperiment (CSDX) - San Diego State Univ. Foundation and General Atomics Data Analysis and Applications Group Internship with Alan Turnbull and Dave Schissel, Feb 2005-Aug 2005
GATO MHD stability analysis code memory optimization and speed enhancement - UCSD Institute for Pure and Applied Science with C. F. Driscoll, June 2004-Oct 2004
Numerical investigation of possible diocotron mode instability sources in Penning traps with pure electron plasmas
Publications
- to be submitted to Nuclear Fusion fall 2009: Characteristics of runaway electrons observed in DIII-D disruptions
- to be submitted to Review of Scientific Instruments fall 2009: Application of scintillator arrays for analysis of runaway electrons in tokamak disruptions
- Measurements of injected impurity assimilation during massive gas injection experiments in DIII-D E.M. Hollmann, T.C. Jernigan, P.B. Parks, J.A. Boedo, T.E. Evans, M. Groth, D.A. Humphreys, A.N. James, M.J. Lanctot, D. Nishijima, D.L. Rudakov, H.A. Scott, E.J. Strait, M.A. Van Zeeland, J.C.Wesley, W.P.West, W. Wu and J.H. Yu, Nuclear Fusion 2008
- Quenching of the Nonlocal Electron Heat Transport by Large External Magnetic Fields in a Laser-Produced Plasma Measured with Imaging Thomson Scattering D. H. Froula, J. S. Ross, B. B. Pollock, P. Davis, A. N. James, L. Divol, M. J. Edwards, A. A. Offenberger, D. Price, R. P. J. Town, G. R. Tynan, and S. H. Glenzer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 2007
- Observation of turbulent-driven shear flow in a cylindrical laboratory plasma device C. Holland, J. H. Yu, A. James, D. Nishijima, M. Shimada, N. Taheri, and G. R. Tynan, Phys. Rev. Lett. 2006 (also in PPCF 2006)
Presentations
- JP8.00095 Recent Investigations of Runaway Electron Generation and Transport in DIII-D A.N. James, E.M. Hollmann, J.H. Yu, G.R. Tynan (UCSD); N. Commaux, T.C. Jernigan (ORNL); N.W. Eidietis, T.E. Evans, R.J. La Haye, E.J. Strait, J.C. Wesley (GA); C.J. Lasnier (LLNL); M.E. Austin (U. Texas)
- DIII-D Friday Science Meeting Talk, Dec 5 2008: STUDIES OF RUNAWAY ELECTRON GENERATION DURING DISRUPTIONS IN DIII–D
- Invited talk at 2009 Cal. State Univ. San Marcos iQUEST program
- UP1.00006 GATO Code Modification to Compute Plasma Response to External Perturbations, Abstract submitted for APS-DPP 2006 Philadelphia, PA
- ZO1.00014 Strong reduction of nonlocal electron heat transport in magnetized laser produced plasma, Abstract submitted for APS-DPP 2006 Philadelphia, PA
- RP1.00052 On particle temperature in CSDX, Abstract submitted for APS-DPP 2005 Denver, CO (summary paper)
- FP1.049 Simulating the Trapped-Ion Instability in Non-Neutral Plasmas. Abstract submitted for APS-DPP 2004 Savannah, GA
Leadership
- President of UC San Diego Graduate Student Association, elected for 2009-2010 academic year
- Founding member of Jacobs Graduate Student Council in 2008, UCSD Engineering student leadership organization focused on community building and encouraging interdepartmental/cross-disciplinary collaboration.
- Vice President of Campus Affairs in the Graduate Student Association at UCSD, elected 2008-2009 academic year
- Representative for Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering to the Graduate Student Association at UCSD, 2007-2008 academic year
- president of Society of Physics Students at UCSD, elected for 2004-2005 term
Awards, Honors
- Gordon Scholar at UC San Diego, 2009
- PHYS 121 Project of the Year: GPS Navigating Autonomous Roving Location Instrument (GNARLI) (pdf), Fall 2005
- UC San Diego Marshall Provosts Honors, fall 2003
Memberships, Volunteering, and Misc. activities
- American Physical Society Member since 2004
- Amateur radio operator since Fall 2008, Extra Class winter 2009, KI6SCF; SANDRA registered Volunteer Examiner since 2009
- KK6UC UC San Diego Amateur radio club member since Fall 2008
- FEMA Certified Disaster Service Worker, Spring 2009
- Community Emergency Response Team volunteer, North Coastal San Diego/UCSD
- Recreational photographer, scuba diver, backpacker, surfer, gaffer, and horticulturist.
Technical Experience
- Operating systems: *nix administration, Apple OS(X), DOS, and Windows; some VMS experience
- Programming: Matlab, IDL, Mathematica, fortran 77-95, Programmable Logic Controllers, python, picASM, Java, C, C++
- Electronics: Microchip PIC; various amplifier and modulator circuits, digital logic, AC/DC circuits, RF and microwave circuit design and fabrication
- Machining: experienced with the lathe, mill, bandsaw, drill press, grinder, and other common shop tools
- Vacuum system assembly and testing: roughing and turbo pumps, convectron and ion gauges, standard and custom flanges, associated plumbing, and leak checking
- Experience with class IV CW and pulsed laser systems and associated optics, various spectrometers, and spectroscopic methods