Plasma photonics optical devices for next-generation high power lasers and radiation sources

About the Project

Optical elements of next generation exawatt to zettawatt lasers will require new optical elements to manipulate their intense laser pulses. Plasma, as an optical element, is extremely robust and will enable their size to be reduced by orders of magnitude. The theory, experimental or combined PhD studentship will support a bold, innovative and paradigm-shifting project that will evaluate novel methods of creating robust time-dependent plasma photonic structures by colliding intense laser pulses in plasma or gas. These Bragg diffractive structures and metamaterials will be probed using ultra-short laser pulses.

The objective will be to produce and analyse transient diffractive optical elements for control and manipulation of ultra-intense, ultra-short laser pulses. They will be investigated as pulse-compressors, amplifiers, metamaterials, time-boundaries and radiation generators. Novel methods will be investigated for creating plasma structures: the ponderomotive force produces an electron density structure. The resulting space-charge force imparts phase-correlated momentum to ions, which inertially “bunch” to form a plasma structure that can be used as a robust optical element. Scattering off it leads to diffraction, birefringence, reflection, amplification and other modifications to the properties of ultra-intense laser pulses.

Integrated and comprehensive theoretical studies, applying analytical and numerical methods, and machine learning, will be undertaken. Petawatt-class lasers at the Strathclyde SCAPA facility (https://www.scapa.ac.uk/), Rutherford Appleton Central Laser Facility and other international facilities will be utilised for the experimental studies. High Performance Computing facilities will be used for numerical simulations using particle-in-cell simulations and machine learning, to model the interactions, and to plan experiments, aid analysis and interpret experimental data. The student will require good experimental skills, particularly in optics and preferably in plasma physics, and have an ability and willingness to undertake numerical simulations. A purely theoretical or numerical simulation project is also possible. The student will have opportunities to work with international collaborators and use state-of-the-art local, national and international experimental facilities.

Please contact Prof. Dino Jaroszynski for further information.

Funding Notes

Will accept self-funded students who have the appropriate background