
RAL Lecture: Novel Laser-Plasma Interactions – from flying focus to high-bandwidth lasers
Come along to R22 Pickavance Lecture Theatre or join online to hear from Professor Dustin Froula, University of Rochester, LLE, USA, on the subject of novel laser-plasma interactions.
Date: Thursday 20th February
Time: 14:00 (Refreshments in R22 Lounge from 15:00)
Technologies have advanced to enable novel manipulation of laser light to improve grand challenge applications that require control of laser-plasma interactions. By coupling the laser fields in space and time, short-pulse lasers are being used to generate regions of high-intensity lights that propagate at prescribed velocities over long distances, to overcome limitations in laser-plasma accelerators. Applications include THz production, and al-optical x-ray lasers.
By creating a spatially coherent, but temporally incoherent laser beam, laser-plasma instabilities in fusion experiments will be mitigated expanding the hydrodynamic design space to include a path to direct-drive inertial fusion energy. These pulses are enabled by novel advancements in broadband laser aplification and broadband frequency conversion, which have led to the Fourth generation Laser for Ultrabroadband 3Xperiments (FLUX).
If you are interested in attending either online or in person, please get in touch below to express your interest.
About the speaker:
Professor Froula’s research interests are in the fields of Experimental Plasma and Laser Physics. Hi research covers the many areas relevant to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and high energy density physics. This includes laser-plasma interactions, under-dense hydrodynamics, Thomson scattering, laser-plasma acceleration, and short-pulse Raman amplification.
His research is currently primarily focused around the OMEGA, OMEGA EP, MTW, OPAL laser facilities at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics and the Jupiter Laser Facility and National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
You can read more about Professor Froula’s background here.