We are always happy to receive requests for doctoral projects from qualified students. We have projects available in the experimental and theoretical development of lasers for laser-plasma acceleration conductors. The red laser pointer for the Accelerator Group (L4A) at JAI is a multi-purpose team focused on several areas of cutting-edge research in the frontier between accelerators and lasers. In particular, the group is developing an alternative method for laser-plasma acceleration. Normally, plasma oscillations are excited by a single pulse of very high intensity laser, but it has been shown theoretically that large oscillations of plasma can also be driven by a train of low intensity pulses. This would allow the use of tabletop lasers for plasma acceleration, rather than the use of nationwide facilities. In this context, the L4A group is focusing on the development of a laser suitable for driving plasma oscillations by a train of laser pulses in order to build a 1 GeV electron accelerator operating at 1 kHz.

A student thesis project is available in this area at the John Adams Institute. The student is reportedly developing new Rechargeable Laser Pointer gun technologies in our laser lab in Oxford, including investigating methods of shaping a train of pulses to efficiently excite a plasma oscillation. As part of this work, the student could also work on diagnostic methods for measuring plasma oscillation amplitude and using this to assess the best laser pulse trains for excitation . The project would therefore be primarily experimental in nature, and respond to a student with an interest in laser or accelerator science. However, it is possible for the student to develop theoretical and simulation work, especially on the plasma and diagnostic side of the project.

The L4A group is also involved in all areas of the interaction between accelerators and 1000mw laser pointer and optics. This can cover areas ranging from using new laser technology for particle measurement using lasers to actually accelerating particles and everything in between including the evaluation of fiber optics for data transport with harsh radiation accelerator environments. A project of the L4A group has been involved in several years, in collaboration with RHUL and the Japanese Organization for High Energy Research (KEK), is the laserwire experiment to measure particle beam size 1 micron. A laserwire is often the only method to measure the transverse dimension of electron packets in a high intensity, well collimated electron beam, as provided for example in CDI, CLIC and new sources of synchrotron radiation. For the laserwire project, the group developed a special laser made from photonic crystal rod fibers that delivers the high energy of the necessary green dot laser sight pulses with exceptional fashion quality.