Israel Carrillo

I am working on experimental planetary materials science through at-parameter (up to 200 GPa, temperatures greater than 4000 K) dynamic compression experiments at Sandia National Labs with silicate melts, which are what young rocky planet mantles are primarily composed of. These experiments aim to understand how the presence of volatile impurities, such as water, in molten silica affects the thermodynamic properties of the melts. 

From these experiments, sound speeds as a function of pressure and eventually equations of state can be derived and implemented in planetary structure models to help understand how volatiles retained in planetary mantles throughout their evolution affect the overall structure of the planet. 

I am also working on a laser ablation project with dual purposes—understanding laser ablation as an asteroid deflection method by performing experiments on samples of similar composition to asteroids, and understanding the plasma-vapor plume that is produced from ablation. Understanding the opacity, density, and temperature can provide benchmark data for silicate models in stellar accretion of rocky bodies and potentially protoplanetary disks.