Gennady Miloshevsky, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering VCU College of Engineering

  • Richmond VA

Professor Miloshevsky researches computational physics with emphasis on effects of plasma, laser and particle beams on materials.

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4 min

Researchers use computer models and simulations to predict satellite resilience

Computational physics is a field of nuance and detail. Using mathematics, researchers build computer models and simulations to test hypotheses within a digital environment. These numerical experiments are often used when practical testing is not feasible like when, for example, you must ascertain the durability of materials in a nuclear explosion. Gennady Miloshevsky, Ph.D., is an associate professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering who specializes in computational physics with an emphasis on plasma, lasers and particle beams. He works to predict the behavior and state of materials when under extreme pressure, temperature and radiation. With funding from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Miloshevsky is studying the effect weapons of mass destruction have on satellites within Earth’s orbit. His work requires a distinct familiarity with our physical world and how different forms of energy interact with and within matter. “Any satellite close to the detonation point would be destroyed,” says Miloshevsky, “However, beyond that initial area, surviving satellites could be subject to X-ray induced blow-off, thermo-mechanical shock and warm dense plasma formation take place on material surfaces. This causes damage to exposed optics, sensors and solar cells on satellites. Particularly dense surface plasmas can couple the solar cells to each other in gaps between unshielded active elements and to dielectric structures causing them to be destroyed. It would all depend on the distance from the detonation point and the orientation of the satellite.” Part of Miloshevsky’s research involves developing methods to computationally simulate temperature, pressure and radiation in order to study the state known as “warm dense plasma,” which occurs between the solid and classical plasma states and exhibits the characteristics of both. A better understanding of this state of matter is a stepping stone to building more resilient materials. “Warm dense plasma is highly transient and short lived,” says Miloshevsky. “The state occurs in several nanoseconds, so isolating it in a laboratory setting in order to characterize it is very complicated. A nuclear burst irradiates materials with high-intensity X-rays, resulting in the transition to warm dense plasma. Our DTRA research seeks to understand the fundamental physics of warm dense plasma, including its physical and electrical properties. It’s currently unclear how this may affect the choice of future materials for satellite components.” A ban on nuclear testing means research into the effects of nuclear weapons is only possible through the use of computer codes to either model or simulate the many physics phenomena generated by a nuclear detonation. Miloshevsky’s first research area includes quantifying and reducing the uncertainty of computer model material properties, such as diamond, under the conditions of a nuclear blast using REODP (Radiative Emissivity and Opacity of Dense Plasmas) computer code he developed. This code is used to investigate the ionization state and ion abundances for equilibrium and transient-dense plasmas. It helps predict the equations of state, transport and optical properties of materials in the category of warm dense plasma. In a second research area, Miloshevsky works to understand and predict the interaction between X-rays and satellite surface materials (like silicon, germanium and other materials used to make solar panels) during a nuclear detonation in space. This uses MIRDIC (Modeling Ionizing Radiation Deep Insulator Charging) code developed in collaboration with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center for its Europa Lander project. This code helps anticipate charge production by blackbody X-rays in dielectrics and insulators of DoD space systems. It can also predict electrostatic material breakdown. Also part of the second research area is work to understand X-ray-induced shock generation, material ablation and blow-off (when material is literally “blown off” the satellite in reaction to another force) within the vacuum of space. This is studied using MSM-LAMMPS (Momentum Scaling Model implemented within the Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator software package) code. It predicts material behavior at an atomic level within extreme environments, the nature and behavior of materials in highly non-equilibrium states, microscopic mechanisms of disintegration, blow-off, melting, ionization and warm dense plasma states. Practical experiments in a lab use lasers to replicate the heat and pressure generated by X-ray radiation, shock and other physical effects of a nuclear detonation. Miloshevsky’s colleagues at the John Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute heat carbide diamond and silica materials typically found in solar panels to temperatures between 11,600 and 1,160,000 Kelvin using lasers at the University of Rochester and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to observe this momentary transformation into warm dense plasma. Researchers use shadowgraphy, spectroscopy and other visual analytical methods to quantify the result. They can also investigate the depth, size and shape of the crater created by the laser within the material surface. “Experimental and computational research are closely interconnected and complement each other,” says Miloshevsky. “The laser-material interaction is a complicated process that occurs on multiple space (nanometers to millimeters) and time (femtoseconds to milliseconds) scales with evolving and changing physics. Data measured in these experiments usually need physics insights from a computer model to be correctly interpreted and understood. Models can provide fine details of physics processes that cannot be revealed in the practical experiments due to the incredibly minute space and time scales. Conversely, data from physical experimentation can feed into a computer model so it can be further developed and refined to enhance the understanding of the experiment’s measured data.” Miloshevsky’s recent topical review paper, Ultrafast laser matter interactions: modeling approaches, challenges, and prospects, details some of these advances in computational modeling and simulation development for laser-pulse interactions with solids and plasma.

Gennady Miloshevsky, Ph.D.

Media

Biography

Dr. Miloshevsky received his MS in physics in 1990 from Belarus State University in Minsk. In 1998, he completed his Ph.D. in physics from the Heat and Mass Transfer Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Dr. Miloshevsky’s training was in the fields of physics, mathematics and computer science with specializations in atomic, molecular and plasma physics. He participated in many national and international research projects in collaborations with scientists in Russia, Europe and Israel. In 2000, he joined Brandeis University in Boston as Postdoctoral Fellow (2000-2002) and Research Associate (2002-2008) in the Department of Chemistry. He focused on the development of new computational approaches for treating large protein systems, with the goal of predicting such proteins’ detailed function from knowledge of their structure. In 2008, Dr. Miloshevsky joined School of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue University, as Research Scientist (2008-2009), Research Assistant Professor (2009-2013), Research Associate Professor (2013-2015), and Associate Professor (2015-2018). Since 2019, he is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Miloshevsky had the opportunity to work on many multidisciplinary research projects both in laboratory and academia environments. His research area of expertise is Computational Physics with emphasis on the effects of plasma, laser and particle beams on materials, shielding of space radiation, fission SNM sources, atomic and plasma physics, warm dense matter, dusty plasmas, Computational Fluid Dynamics, two-fluid liquid metal-plasma flows, Molecular Dynamics, Monte Carlo, Hartree-Fock and DFT methods, permeation and gating of protein channels and transporters, biophysics of lipid bilayers and membranes. Dr. Miloshevsky’s research accomplishments have been documented through many publications in peer-reviewed journals, books and conference proceedings.

Industry Expertise

Research
Education/Learning
Computer Software
Nuclear

Areas of Expertise

Materials Under Extreme Conditions
Nuclear and Spacecraft Materials
Radiation- and Plasma-Material Interactions
Radiation Transport and Shielding
Physics of High Energy Densities
Warm Dense Matter
Atomic, Molecular and Plasma Physics
Dusty Plasmas
Molecular Dynamics and Monte Carlo methods
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Multi-fluid Flows
Permeation and Gating of Protein Channels and Transporters
Continuum Electro-Elasticity of Lipid Bilayers

Accomplishments

Marshall Faculty Fellow Award from the NASA Marshal Space Flight Center Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

June - August, 2018

Marshall Faculty Fellow Award from the NASA Marshal Space Flight Center Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

June - August, 2017

Best Teacher Award from School of Nuclear Engineering, Purdue University

April 2017

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Education

Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Post-Doc.

Computational Biophysics

2002

Heat and Mass Transfer Institute, Minsk, Belarus

Ph.D.

Thermophysics and Molecular Physics

1998

Belarus State University, Minsk, Belarus

M.S.

Atomic and Plasma Physics

1990

Affiliations

  • American Physical Society, Member
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Member
  • American Chemical Society, Member

Media Appearances

One very bad day

Aerospace America  online

2024-07-01

Gennady Miloshevsky studies what would happen to materials following a nuclear detonation. He is an assistant professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University, and a member of a research consortium with the Pentagon’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency and Johns Hopkins University. The damage in any hypothetical scenario, he and others say, depends on two factors: how close the satellites are to the explosion and the amount of energy released, known as the yield of the weapon. The closer the distance and the greater the yield, the worse it would be.

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Researchers strive to predict satellite resilience to weapons of mass destruction in space

VCU Featured News  online

2023-02-08

Computational physics provides foundation for little-understood physical state generated by nuclear detonation in space.

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VCU Engineering researcher part of multi-institutional team to understand the behavior of materials in extreme conditions

VCU Engineering News  online

2020-06-17

Gennady Miloshevsky, Ph.D., is VCU’s principal investigator on a grant from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to 18 major research institutions working to better understand the behavior of materials in extreme conditions caused by weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

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Event Appearances

2019 Day at the Capitol

Meeting with Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax, Secretary of Education Atif Qarni, Delegates and Senators to discuss the importance of nuclear science and technology to the Commonwealth of Virginia  Richmond, VA

2019-01-16

Research Focus

Warm Dense Matter (WDM)

equilibrium WDM naturally occurring in cores of large planets and rapidly evolving and highly non-equilibrium WDM produced in laboratory by high energy lasers, Z-pinch X-ray sources and nuclear detonations; equations of state, optical, and electrical properties of highly dense (0.1 to 10-fold solid density) and low temperature (1 eV – 10 eV) WDM; development of advanced, quantum-level computational models (Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics methods coupled with the Hartree-Fock-Slater - Collisional-Radiative Steady-State model) for predicting the formation, spatiotemporal evolution, physical and electrical properties of WDM

Fusion Plasma-Material Interactions

Melting of metallic plasma facing components, macroscopic melt motion, and melt splashing with droplets due to edge localized modes and plasma disruptions in fusion devices; coupled flow of plasma, vapor, and liquid metal under the effect of an external magnetic field; development and implementation of multi-fluid flow models within OpenFOAM CFD toolkit

Space Radiation Shielding

depth-dose distributions produced by Jovian electrons in multi-layer slabs of materials; radiolytic degradation of ammonium perchlorate (AP) propellant; radiation-induced chemical yields and weight percent of radical products in AP; electron dose deposition and electric charge buildup in dielectric and insulating materials of spacecraft; evaluation of induced electric fields and internal electrostatic discharge; development and implementation of computational models for high-fidelity modeling of the radiolytic degradation of AP oxidizer in solid propellants and the deep charging and breakdown in spacecraft insulating and dielectric materials

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Research Grants

PI: Accelerating Next-Generation EUV Lithography (ANGEL)

The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science/Office of Fusion Energy Sciences

2025-01-15

The ANGEL project aims to advance the fundamental science driving the efficiency of future microelectronic systems, focusing on key areas such as extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photon sources, control mitigate material degradation, and plasma chemistry. The project contains two thrusts - (1) understand the generation and radiation transport of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photons in a laser-produced plasma (LPP) source and (2) control the degradation of reflective multilayer mirror (MLM) optical components caused by EUV debris and hydrogen plasma. These goals will facilitate the development of next-generation high-power EUV sources with improved efficiency and durable optical components for extreme environments. Our approach leverages co-design principles, focusing on energy transfer in the LPP source, plasma chemical reactivity, and MLM degradation resistance.

PI: A URA for Materials Science in Extreme Environments, Materials Science in Extreme Environments University Research Alliance (MSEE-URA)

Defense Thread Reduction Agency

2020-07-01

The Materials Science in Extreme Environments University Research Alliance (MSEE URA) is an alliance of 18 research institutions led by Johns Hopkins University working in close collaboration with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). The research is focused on understanding, predicting, and controlling the behavior of materials in extreme conditions caused by weapons of mass destruction. The URA is expected to advance the types of materials that are capable of eliminating stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons while understanding and limiting the damage associated with nuclear blasts.

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PI: Spatiotemporal Evolution of High-Density Surface Plasmas Produced by Prompt X-rays

Defense Thread Reduction Agency

2018-04-22

A high-altitude nuclear burst can radiate 70 to 80 percent of its released energy as X-rays. A major effect of prompt cold X-rays to a few microns of satellite surface materials is surface vaporization, ionization, and generation of high-density blow-off plasma. Solar cells are more susceptible to prompt X-rays, since the large surface area is exposed to radiation and cannot be substantially shielded. Implications of X-ray irradiation of solar cells are potentially quite serious. The surface plasmas can couple the solar cells to each other and to dielectric structures causing them to be destroyed. The objective of the proposed research is to explore the physics mechanisms of prompt cold X-ray absorption by metallic and dielectric materials, formation and expansion phases of produced warm dense plasma (WDP), and its physical and electrical properties. We propose to study the fundamental physics of the formation and spatiotemporal evolution of WDPs using the Monte Carlo (MC) and Molecular Dynamics (MD) methods coupled with the Hartree-Fock-Slater (HFS) - Collisional-Radiative Steady-State (CRSS) model. This basic research covering the science of the creation, time evolution, and physical properties of WDPs generated in the cold X-ray radiation environment will improve our understanding of ways to design more survivable solar arrays for satellites.

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Courses

Artificial Intelligence in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering

This course focuses on data-driven computational artificial intelligence (AI) applications in mechanical and nuclear engineering. Specific areas of AI applications may include design and optimization of mechanical and thermal-fluid systems, engineering materials, autonomous vehicles, robotics, nuclear fuel cycle, fusion plasma disruptions in tokamaks, and engineering research. Knowledge of Python programming is required. Students will learn how to use TensorFlow platform for the design and optimization of mechanical and nuclear systems, components, and processes. There will be in-class hands-on learning experiences in AI, tailored to specific projects.

Fusion Energy Engineering

The course focuses on the science and engineering of clean nuclear fusion energy. The major topics are the role of fusion energy, nuclear fusion reactions, basics of fusion plasma, single-particle motion in a plasma, concepts of cross sections, mean free paths, plasma particle collisions, and fusion reaction rates, self-consistent two-fluid model of a fusion plasma, MHD equilibrium and plasma stability, magnetic confinement of a fusion plasma, plasma heating and current drive, magnetic fusion reactor concepts, design of a simple magnetic fusion reactor. The course content is structured to be suitable for both senior undergraduate and master/PhD students.

Computational Methods

This course focuses on engineering problem-solving skills using computational methods, including Excel (VBA), MATLAB, and Python programming. Topics include analytical and algorithmic solutions, data representation, pseudocodes, loops and logical branching, plotting data, finding the roots of equations, matrix mathematics, and solving simultaneous equations.

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Selected Articles

Two-Temperature Model for Predicting Heating and Melting in Metallic and Semiconductor Materials Irradiated by X-ray Pulses

Journal of Applied Physics

Y. Abouhussien and G. Miloshevsky

Vol. 137, 2025, 105901

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Investigation of Energy Deposition by Soft X-rays into Solar Cell Materials

Nuclear Science and Engineering

Y. Abouhussien and G. Miloshevsky

Vol. 199, 2025, 1000-1009

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OpenFOAM modeling of beryllium melt motion and splashing from first wall in ITER

Physica Scripta

C. Zhang and G. Miloshevsky

Vol. 98, 2023, 095611

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