According to the American Nuclear Society, the award's sponsor, "Larry R. Foreman has excelled as a leader and scientist in the U.S. program to develop extremely high-quality cryogenic targets for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), including targets for the billion-dollar-scale National Ignition Facility (NIF) now under construction. Dr. Foreman was nominated and strongly supported by the leaders of the major U.S. ICF programs at Livermore and the University of Rochester."
Director John Browne presented the medal to Foreman on June 25 on behalf of the American Nuclear Society. Browne said the award was well deserved and noted that "this is a great day for Foreman and the Laboratory, as the award recognizes not only Foreman's scientific work but also the high caliber of people we have working here at Los Alamos." As a special gesture, Edward Teller personally phoned in his congratulations during the ceremony.
Foreman, who works in the Laboratory's Polymers and Coating Group, has been involved in ICF target fabrication since the early 1980s. In 1988 Foreman and Jim Hoffer-- also of Los Alamos -- published the seminal work on beta-layering. Their experimental results and theoretical explanation of the self-smoothing of frozen deuterium-tritium (DT) is the basis for nearly all cryogenic ignition target designs. More recently, Foreman led the effort to develop beryllium as a DT containing target for the NIF.
The Teller Medal is a biannual award given in recognition of pioneering research and leadership in the use of laser and ion-particle beams to produce unique high-density matter for scientific research and for controlled nuclear fusion. Recipients are selected from nominations received by the International Conference on Inertial Fusion Sciences and Applications as well as the American Nuclear Society. Foreman is the first Los Alamos scientist to receive this award.
Foreman's scientific work has also been recognized with a Los Alamos Distinguished Performance Award and a DOE Recognition of Excellence Award.
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