HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-TALENTS-02-01 - ERA Fellowships: https://doi.org/10.3030/101180632
Recent advancements in ultra-high-intensity optical laser systems and Free Electron Lasers have opened new possibilities for studying hot, dense plasmas. This progress offers new insights into physical mechanisms relevant to astrophysical events and plasma-based technologies. The PLAXI project aims to deepen this understanding by using advanced numerical simulations and experiments to investigate the physical processes underlying relativistic plasma filamentation instabilities. By integrating advanced X-ray imaging with High-Energy-Density Physics, the project will provide insights into energy transport meachnisms in gamma-ray bursts and fast-igniting plasmas.
Funded as an additional LaserLab JRA between IST and LOA, this project aimed to synthetise LightSprings, one of the most complex spatiotemporal beam with a helical intenisty distribution, at a high-power laser facility. Moreover, the recently developed hyperspectra diagnostic IMPALA was adapted to diagnose the introduced spatiotemporal couplings in the high-power laser pulse.
FF-HHG is a research project that aims to boost the efficiency of High Harmonic Generation (HHG) by using structured Flying Focus laser pulses—beams whose intensity can be dynamically controlled in space and time. By combining advanced laser shaping, non-linear laser-matter interactions, and numerical modeling, the project seeks to develop brighter and tunable XUV light sources for applications in ultrafast science and imaging.
NanoXCAN is a cooperation of the University of Lisbon with Leibniz University and other partners in France, Switzerland and the Czech Republic funded by the European Commission. The goal is to develop a revolutionary, compact X-ray microscope that will make it possible for the first time to directly image viruses and viral structures.
UnRIP is a French ANR-funded project exploring relativistic plasma instabilities driven by ultra-intense lasers and particle beams. It combines experiments at LOA and SLAC with advanced simulations to understand high-energy-density plasma behavior. The findings have implications for both laboratory astrophysics and future radiation sources.
FACET-II is a state-of-the-art facility at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory designed to produce high-energy electron and positron beams for advanced accelerator and plasma physics research. It enables studies on beam-driven plasma wakefield acceleration, radiation generation, and high-field quantum electrodynamics under controlled, ultra-relativistic conditions.