Engineering Physics summer Internship- Thermal Blooming

The Air Force Institute of Technology is looking for 2024 candidates to participate in a paid summer internship for 10-12 weeks at Wright Patterson Air Force Base (Dayton, Ohio). This Internship is in the Engineering Physics Department, with the Center for Directed Energy. All applicants must be U.S Citizens and be able to pass a background check. 

Project Title: Analysis & Simulation of Thermal Blooming with Convection 

Project Description: Recent work at AFIT has focused on the development and numerical simulation of wave optics models for thermal blooming with natural convection. This phenomenon describes the nonlinear coupling between a laser beam and the fluid that it propagates through, which presents a challenging task for accurate simulation. Thus far, our analysis has been restricted to the propagation of a single Gaussian beam, but there is interest in the Directed Energy community for an investigation on natural convection thermal blooming for non-Gaussian beams and for beams propagating as a combined array. We seek an intern to utilize existing models and software to perform a study on this thermal blooming effect. Tasks will include mathematical modeling, scientific computing, data analysis, and a final presentation of results.       

Majors: Physical Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Optical sciences or Optical Engineering with proficiency in programming.