Born in England on Aug. 13, 1948, to Teviot Selwyn and Dulcie Guyda (Mounsey) Eimerl, David was a true renaissance man, gifted not only in physics and mathematics, but in languages and music as well. He attended Brasenose College at the University of Oxford, England, earning first-class honors (summa cum laude) in nuclear physics and obtained his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Diego, he joined the newly-formed Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), where he worked on a variety of topics related to laser fusion. During his LLNL tenure, he led a team of researchers developing materials and advanced concepts for laser frequency conversion; he also served as a Program Leader and later as Chief Scientist for the Laser Science and Technology Program in the ICF Directorate.
After retiring from LLNL, he continued to work on laser fusion topics, and was a co-inventor of StarDriver, a completely new concept for commercial-scale laser-driven energy production. In 2001, he founded Eimex to provide computer modeling and consulting services in laser science, as well as expert witness testimony for laser injury and patent litigation. He published widely in the scientific literature, and held numerous laser-related patents. He also developed semiconductor and laser products for the telecom, computer electronics, wafer processing, and medical device industries.
A long-time Individual Affiliate of Fusion Power Associates, in December 2014 he and several co-authors presented the StarDriver concept at Fusion Power Associated 35th annual meeting https://fire.pppl.gov/FPA14_StarDriver_EIMEX_Eimerl.ppt
Steve Obenschain, head of the laser fusion program at the Naval Research Laboratory said, "David was an early advocate of using bandwidth to suppress laser plasma instabilities and conducted pioneering experiments on use of SRRS to generate such bandwidths while at LLNL. He authored a Physical Review Letter on the subject in May 1993. For the past ten years he supported the laser fusion program at the Naval Research Laboratory as a valued consultant. He recently contributed to the NRL program to utilize stimulated rotational Raman scattering (SRRS) to impose broad bandwidth on existing ICF lasers."
Outside of his professional life, David had a wide variety of passions. He was a fantastic classical and jazz pianist, singer, and composer. He also played the bass guitar and, in his earlier years, performed with a rock band in England. He was a long-time member of a cappella groups, and performed for more than three decades at numerous weddings, recitals, and other functions, including once with the San Francisco Opera. A master scuba diver and avid hiker, David had a deep appreciation for the natural world. He loved doing day-long hikes and climbing the mountains in the Sierra Nevadas and Yosemite, Mt. Tallac and Cloud's Rest being two of his favorites.
He was an advocate for the outdoors, serving as a board member for The Solano Land Trust and the Green Valley Landowners Association. He was an accomplished horseman, and loved doing 50-mile endurance rides on his favorite horse, Rab. He also loved riding in Green Valley and Lynch Canyon Open Space with his wife, Carol and their horses.
David also had a passion for aviation and spent hundreds of hours piloting small aircraft and performing acrobatics. After extensive training, in May 2018 he realized one of his lifelong dreams, returning to England for the extremely rare opportunity to pilot a World War II Spitfire. He was relentless in the pursuit of his passions, so much so that he completed his commercial piloting license while undergoing chemotherapy.
David loved spending time with friends. Cooking and baking were also passions of his, and fixing a meal for people he loved was one of his greatest joys. Of his many gifts, talents, and accomplishments, the one that brought David the most happiness was his family. He loved surprising his sister and her family in England by popping in for an unannounced visit for a birthday or anniversary celebration, or having them visit the U.S. for a week-long wedding or birthday celebration. His children and grandchildren were the lights of his life, and nothing in the world meant more to him than spending time with them.
Mike Campbell, Director of the laser effort at the University of Rochester and co-author of the StarDriver concept paper said of David, "David was an outstanding and creative laser and optical scientist who made many contributions to the development and understanding of high power lasers used in ICF research. His contributions included non-linear optics, innovative laser systems and architecture and the interaction of intense light with plasmas. David played a major role in the development and deployment of upconverting the fundamental Nd wavelength to the ultra-violet which is now found in nearly every high power laser (OMEGA, NIF, LMJ, SGIII) used in ICF research. He was a pioneer in exploring techniques to increase the bandwidth for future ICF lasers, a task he was working on until a few weeks before his passing. As described in this obituary, David was a true renaissance man-from physics, music, to flying spitfires! I will miss his intellect and his friendship."
He is survived by his beloved wife, Carol; daughter and son-in-law, Alyson and Kyle Charlet, and their children, Taylor and Dylan; son and daughter-in-law. Adrian and Lyndi Eimerl, and their children, Avery, Parker, and Peyton; son, Robert Eimerl; daughter, Elia Lundgren; sister and brother-in-law, Ann and Geoff Phillips; nephew, Simon Phillips and wife, Fedi, and their daughters, Carolina and Sofia; niece, Sarah Nixon-Teecey and husband, Adam, and their son, Elliott.
A true example of what it means to be passionately curious, David was a brilliant, accomplished, complex, and loving man. He will be deeply missed.
A celebration of life will be held at his home in Green Valley when it is safe for all to gather together again. Contributions in David's memory can be sent to Solano Land Trust, 700 Main St. #210, Suisun City, California, 94585; Green Valley Landowners Association, 4160 Suisun Valley Road E240, Fairfield, California, 94534; or any charity of your choice.
Remembrances may be sent to his wife Carol at clundgren5@aol.com