Fusion Power Associates 2 Professional Drive, Suite 249 Gaithersburg, MD 20879 phone: (301) 258-0545 fax: (301) 975-9869 e-mail: FusionPwrAssoc@aol.com web: http://fusionpower.org

The award notes that "Thomson X-ray scattering is based on the interaction of electromagnetic waves, such as light, with free electrons, and is used to determine the properties of matter that has been heated and compressed to high temperatures and/or pressures, and is especially powerful in sensing the temperature of plasma - the high-temperature state of matter in which electrons and nuclei move independently of each other. The technique enables probing unusual and exotic states of matter under extreme conditions of temperature, pressure, and radiation, such as the Big Bang, when the Universe was born in a primordial fireball; the interiors of stars and planets; and thermonuclear weapons".

The Lawrence Awards have been given since 1959 to recognize mid-career scientists and engineers in the U.S. who have advanced new research and scientific discovery in areas of interest to the DOE, including fusion and plasma sciences. The award consists of a medal and a $20,000 honorarium. It will be presented in a ceremony sometime later this year.

He can be reached at glenzer@slac.stanford.edu