Dan Kalantar
Chief Systems Engineer
for Experimental Systems
Daniel Kalantar is the chief systems engineer for experimental systems for the National Ignition Facility at LLNL. He serves as: a chief scientist supporting the Lasers and Alignment Systems Engineering group; is responsible for platform development for experiments that use the Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC); is senior scientist for the NIF User Office; and supports external users develop and execute experiments at NIF through the Discovery Science program.
Kalantar came to LLNL as a postdoctoral researcher in laser programs in 1993, and worked in the Laser Experiments and Advanced Diagnostics program. In 1995, he transitioned to staff scientist. He developed a number of complex experiments, including measurement of direct laser imprint by XUV radiography with an x-ray laser on Nova 2-Beam, in-flight radiography of an imploding capsule, and material strength and in-situ diffraction measurements of highstrain- rate materials on Nova 10-Beam, OMEGA, and at other laser facilities.
In 2008, he became NIF’s senior commissioning scientist responsible for commissioning target experimental capabilities, and establishing and commissioning alignment processes for executing alignment in NIF’s Target Chamber, timing NIF beamlines, and commissioning the ARC short pulse laser capability.
In 2019, Kalantar was recognized as a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at LLNL.
Kalantar earned a B.Sc. (Honors) in mathematical physics from the University of Alberta, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in physics from Cornell University, where he studied the dynamics of x-pinch and z-pinch plasmas.