Opportunities

We currently have no postdoctoral research positions available, however, we are open to applications for fellowships.

2025 PhD Projects

Najmudin 1 – Laser Wakefield Accelerators to drive light sources

This PhD project will examine the potential of Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) as a novel and efficient method for generating high-quality electron beams for Free Electron Laser (FEL) applications.

Wakefield accelerators driven by intense lasers are now used to routinely generate multi-GeV electron beams in our experiments [1]. The generated beams already have many applications including the generation of intense sources of x-rays [2]. The electron beams that are currently produced tend to have high charge they are usually in a large energy spread. Though these are then useful for generating incoherent sources of radiation, they cannot yet be used to drive a free-electron laser. A free electron laser is the latest generation of x-ray source which uses the coherent interaction between a radiation field and the electrons generating it to produce coherent radiation – a beam driven laser [3]. At high enough electron energy, the output of these new laser sources can be in the x-ray regime. But FEL’s need really high-quality drivers, such as those typically found only in high-energy physics labs. A breakthrough in the use of FEL’s could arise if they could be driven by much smaller and potentially more widespread accelerators such as LWFA’s. However, for this to be possible, the quality of output of LWFAs has to improve.

In this project, we will study ways of making the beams produced from LWFA suitable to drive FELs. In particular, the beams should have low energy spread and have a brightness such that the FEL enters the exponential growth phase of the FEL instability. The study will involve theoretical analysis, advanced numerical simulations, and experimental validations, both on our local laser system and also at national facilities, to verify that the production of such beams is possible.

[1] Põder, K., Wood, J. C., Lopes, N. C., Cole, J. M., Alatabi, S., Backhouse, M. P., Foster, P. S., Hughes, A. J., Kamperidis, C., Kononenko, O., Mangles, S. P. D., Palmer, C. A. J., Rusby, D., Sahai, A., Sarri, G., Symes, D. R., Warwick, J. R., & Najmudin, Z. (2024). Multi-GeV Electron Acceleration in Wakefields Strongly Driven by Oversized Laser Spots. Physical Review Letters, 132(19), 195001. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.195001

[2] Kneip, S., McGuffey, C., Martins, J. L., Martins, S. F., Bellei, C., Chvykov, V., Dollar, F., Fonseca, R., Huntington, C., Kalintchenko, G., Maksimchuk,  a., Mangles, S. P. D., Matsuoka, T., Nagel, S. R., Palmer, C. a. J., Schreiber, J., Phuoc, K. T., Thomas,  A. G. R., Yanovsky, V., … Najmudin, Z. (2010). Bright spatially coherent synchrotron X-rays from a table-top source. Nature Physics, 6(12), 980–983. https://doi.org/10.1038/NPHYS1789

[3] McNeil, B. (2009). Free electron lasers: First light from hard X-ray laser. Nature Photonics. http://www.nature.com/nphoton/journal/v3/n7/full/nphoton.2009.110.html

Potential JAI quota studentship

Najmudin 2 – Generating deuteron beams for applications in fusion science

Recent results on NIF at the Lawrence Livermore Lab have demonstrated the potential of inertial confinement fusion as a method of power generation, with significantly more energy being produced in output of the fusion process than put into the interaction by the laser system [1].

Whilst these experiments have been revolutionary, the sheer scale and complexity of the facility required to produce these results is a barrier to the production of a power plant based on these techniques. However, there are routes to more efficient production of the conditions required for inertial confinement fusion, which would mean that they could be produced on facilities of a much smaller and potentially more widespread scale. Direct drive inertial confinement fusion would use laser beams directly impacting the fuel capsule, as opposed to the indirect drive scheme used until now which first converts laser energy into x-rays. It would enhance the efficiency of the compression, though this is likely to come at the expense of stability and corresponding final compression ratio [2]. However, there are schemes that can still produce gain from less compressed targets. Amongst these, “fast ignition” schemes separate the ignition of the capsule from the compression phase [3]. In fact, a short fast pulse source of energy either in a laser or particle beam could then provide the spark needed to ignite the fusion pellet at considerably lower energy requirement than igniting through further compression. In this project, we will consider the use of energetic deuteron beams as a source to initiate ignition of a DT fuel capsule. As well as heating the plasma to sufficient temperature, the deuterons can also react with the DT fuel themselves, thus potentially requiring less energy than, for example, ignition with proton beams.

This project will have two main components. The first will be the development of high-charge but relatively low-energy deuteron beams that could be used for neutron generation applications. Amongst the schemes we will consider will be the collisionless shock acceleration scheme in a gas target developed by our group [4]. Secondly, we will determine the deuteron beam characteristics required to ignite a precompressed DT fusion pellet. We will then calculate the compression / deuteron beam requirements to make the most economical laser driver for such an interaction.

[1] Abu-Shawareb, H., Acree, R., Adams, P., Adams, J., Addis, B., Aden, R., Adrian, P., Afeyan, B. B., Aggleton, M., Aghaian, L., Aguirre, A., Aikens, D., Akre, J., Albert, F., Albrecht, M., Albright, B. J., Albritton, J., Alcala, J., Alday, C., … Zylstra, A. B. (2022). Lawson Criterion for Ignition Exceeded in an Inertial Fusion Experiment. Physical Review Letters, 129(7). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.075001

[2] Craxton, R. S., Anderson, K. S., Boehly, T. R., Goncharov, V. N., Harding, D. R., Knauer, J. P., McCrory, R. L., McKenty, P. W., Meyerhofer, D. D., Myatt, J. F., Schmitt, A. J., Sethian, J. D., Short, R. W., Skupsky, S., Theobald, W., Kruer, W. L., Tanaka, K., Betti, R., Collins, T. J. B., … Zuegel, J. D. (2015). Direct-drive inertial confinement fusion: A review. In Physics of Plasmas (Vol. 22, Issue 11). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4934714

[3] Tabak, M., Hammer, J., Glinsky, M. E., Kruer, W. L., Wilks, S. C., Woodworth, J., Campbell, E. M., Perry, M. D., & Mason, R. J. (1994). Ignition and high gain with ultrapowerful lasers. Physics of Plasmas, 1(5), 1626. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.870664

[4] Palmer, C., Dover, N., Pogorelsky, I., Babzien, M., Dudnikova, G., Ispiriyan, M., Polyanskiy, M., Schreiber, J., Shkolnikov, P., Yakimenko, V., & Najmudin, Z. (2011). Monoenergetic Proton Beams Accelerated by a Radiation Pressure Driven Shock. Physical Review Letters, 106(1), 014801. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.014801

Potential JAI quota studentship

Najmudin 3 –Intensity control of a high-intensity laser pulses for optimising plasma acceleration schemes.

Plasma-based particle accelerators have garnered significant interest due to their potential to revolutionize high-energy physics and medical applications. Laser-driven plasma accelerators (LPA) have demonstrated the ability to accelerate electrons to multi-GeV [1] and protons to 100’s MeV [2] energies in compact setups, offering a promising alternative to traditional accelerator technologies. However, significant challenges remain in controlling and optimising the laser-plasma interaction to achieve high efficiency, stable acceleration, and optimal beam quality.

The interaction between the laser pulse and the plasma is highly dependent on the spatial and temporal characteristics of the laser. The focal spot intensity profile plays a crucial role in determining the efficiency of energy transfer into the plasma and, ultimately, the acceleration process. Focal spot shaping has been shown to improve the performance of laser-plasma accelerators by optimising the coupling of laser energy into the plasma.

This project will involve the use and optimisation of a deformable mirror (adaptive optic system) along with custom phase plates to produce allow phase front control of intense laser beams. This can produce laser beams with unique properties such as modes with zero on-axis intensities which could be used for accelerating positrons in a wakefield accelerator [3], or even in controlling the group velocity of the laser pulse. Indeed, recent simulations with spatiotemporally controlled laser pulses have demonstrated laser pulses that can travel at exactly the vacuum speed of light (or even superluminally) [4] which can greatly enhance the acceleration witnessed by electrons in the plasma accelerator.

The project will involve a mixture of modelling of the unique laser pulses, and their effect on plasma accelerators, as well as implementation on the high rep-rate Zhi laser at the Blackett Laboratory.

[1] Põder, K., Wood, J. C., Lopes, N. C., Cole, J. M., Alatabi, S., Backhouse, M. P., Foster, P. S., Hughes, A. J., Kamperidis, C., Kononenko, O., Mangles, S. P. D., Palmer, C. A. J., Rusby, D., Sahai, A., Sarri, G., Symes, D. R., Warwick, J. R., & Najmudin, Z. (2024). Multi-GeV Electron Acceleration in Wakefields Strongly Driven by Oversized Laser Spots. Physical Review Letters, 132(19), 195001. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.195001

[2] Ziegler, T., Göthel, I., Assenbaum, S., Bernert, C., Brack, F. E., Cowan, T. E., Dover, N. P., Gaus, L., Kluge, T., Kraft, S., Kroll, F., Metzkes-Ng, J., Nishiuchi, M., Prencipe, I., Püschel, T., Rehwald, M., Reimold, M., Schlenvoigt, H. P., Umlandt, M. E. P., … Zeil, K. (2024). Laser-driven high-energy proton beams from cascaded acceleration regimes. Nature Physics 2024 20:7, 20(7), 1211–1216. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-024-02505-0

[3] Cao, G. J., Lindstrøm, C. A., Adli, E., Corde, S., & Gessner, S. (2024). Positron acceleration in plasma wakefields. In Physical Review Accelerators and Beams (Vol. 27, Issue 3). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevAccelBeams.27.034801

[4] Sainte-Marie, A., Gobert, O., & Quéré, F. (2017). Controlling the velocity of ultrashort light pulses in vacuum through spatio-temporal couplings. Optica, 4(10), 1298. https://doi.org/10.1364/optica.4.001298

Potential JAI quota studentship

Academics: Ken Long, Jaroslaw Pasternak and Ruth Mclauchlan (Charing Cross Hospital)

Particle physics applied to the life sciences The Centre for the Clinical Application of Particles works at the junction between physical and life sciences. We seek to contribute to the development of novel techniques by which to enhance experiments in the biomedical sciences and to contribute to the development of improvements in clinical practice.
Central to our research programme is the development of new accelerator technologies and novel detector, instrumentation and image processing techniques. The technologies and techniques that we shall develop will be used to elucidate the micro-biophysical processes that underpin the impact of ionising radiation on tissue and in clinical applications. In collaboration with the Space, Plasma and Climate Community, and as part of the John Adam’s Institute, we are developing the Laser-hybrid Accelerator for Radiobiological Applications, LhARA. This is a novel facility to serve a systematic programme of radiobiology. The beam will be sent either to an end-station for in-vitro experiments or injected into a post accelerator to boost its energy to that required for in-vivo or high energy and ion-beam in-vitro experiments. The technologies that are envisaged for LhARA are required to deliver, for example, the nuSTORM neutrino source and PRISM – the proposed successor to COMET.

Key topics in the development of LhARA include:

• The execution of a set of measurements on laser-driven proton and ion sources to validate the numerical modelling that underpins the conceptual design of LhARA.
• The design and execution of a proof-of-principle radiobiology experiment on a laser-driven proton beam line.
• The development of a second prototype of the strong-focusing plasma lens (the Gabor Lens) and the characterisation of this prototype using a variety of beams.
• The development of ion-acoustic dose mapping; a novel, non-invasive real-time dose-profile measurement system.
• The development of a concept for the post-acceleration of the low-energy ion beams. The postaccelerator is based on the novel ‘Fixed Field Accelerator’ concept. The work will be carried out in collaboration with the R&D effort for the upgrade of the ISIS synchrotron at RAL.

We are working with CERN to develop a compact next generation accelerator for proton and ion therapy and begin to engage with CERN in aspects of the LhARA initiative. In collaboration with the Institut Curie in Paris and the University of Santiago de Compstella we plan to work on the simulation of nuclear interactions in tissue and, in collaboration with the Particle Physics Department at RAL, we are working towards the design of detection system to locate the Bragg peak in real time.

You will have the opportunity to work with world leaders in the UK and overseas on new and cuttingedge technologies that have the potential not only to transform clinical practice in particle beam therapy but can also be spun back into fundamental science. Additional opportunities are provided by our emerging collaboration with Leo Cancer Care in the development of automated solutions for radiation therapy.

Time Resolved X-Ray Spectroscopy using Laser Wakefied Accelerators

Supervisor: Professor Stuart Mangles
Type: experimental with computional modelling 

Funding: JAI/STFC

This PhD project will research the use of X-Rays produced by laser wakefield accelerators for ultrafast time-resolved absorption spectroscopy.

The project will develop X-Ray absorption methods for the UK's new EPAC laser fascility and will provide insights into the potential of laser wakefied accelerators for a range of of applications, including time-resolved studies of dynamic processes in material systems, detection of ultrafast electronic dynamics, and matter in extreme conditions. 

Development of a plasma lens for Laser hybrid Accelerator for Radiobiological Applications (LhARA) with an advanced computational approach

The UKRI CDT Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning and Advanced Computing (AIMLAC) is offering a fully funded PhD scholarship to work on the LhARA plasma lens. More information can be found on https://www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate/scholarships/research/physics-ukri-cdt-aimlac-phd-development-2023-rs197.php