Using a science-based approach, the Initiation Science team at AWE provides the technical and scientific skills required to support the stockpile. The work conducted by the team requires both experimental and theoretical skills.
The experimental programme requires designing and fielding experiments, sometimes containing radioactive or explosive materials, which must be prepared under clean-room conditions.
This also requires data capture, as the test piece is exposed to extreme environments. The theoretical studies include running complex models to support the design and development of AWE’s capability.
The Initiation Science team relies on the support of several unique capabilities across AWE, to the extent that many are wholly dedicated to support the team.