Group of Lasers and Plasmas

Generation of miniature magnetised shockwaves

By interacting with minimagnetospheres, super-alfvénic plasma streams
can generate collisionless shocks with very distinct features, like solitary
(tsunami-like) magnetosonic waves.  In the figure, we represent the magnetic field
of a train of solitary waves (in blue tones) resulting from the interaction with a
minimagnetosphere, whose typical size is of a few ion Larmor radii. In orange/red
tones, we represent the electron fluid velocity component perpendicular to the
magnetic field, that illustrates the development of electron-scale instabilities
at the magnetopause.
Cascading in laser pulses

The figure represents the development of an
electron-positron pair plasma at the focus of two
counter circularly polarized intense laser pulses.
The electrons, positrons and photons are respectively
colored in red, green and yellow. The laser pulses
are displayed in a rainbow color scale according
to the wave intensity. The arrows represent the field
lines of the electric field.
High-resolution x-ray 3D imaging of bone micro-structure

Osteoporosis impact on public health is sharply increasing justifying a significant effort to diagnose,
reat and understand this disease. Bones have been imaged with x-rays for almost a century and the
basic technology for clinical image is well established, but with the recent development of large scale
synchrotron light sources and high-end microfiches x-ray generators, imaging of the intricate bone inner
structure with a few micron resolution become possible. Laser driven betatron x-ray microscope was
built and used to demonstrate the feasibility of high-resolution bone imaging in the Astra-Gemini laser
facility (UK). A sample of femur trabecular bone was imaged from multiple angles and a 3D model of the
bone was built using tomographic techniques to a resolution below 50 micron. This demonstration renew
the interest in the development of compact laser-plasma electron accelerators and its applications. It also
opens prospects for its use in clinic diagnostics in the medium term.

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Latest News

Professor Tito Mendonça selected as outstanding referee for APS 2025

Professor Tito Mendonça has been selected as an Outstanding Referee by the American Physical Society (APS). This recognition is awarded annually to scientists who have provided exceptional service in the peer-review process across APS journals. The distinction highlights Professor Mendonça’s contributions to maintaining the quality and integrity of published research in physics. Read more

Aggregation Exam by Jorge Vieira

Jorge Vieira, an IPFN researcher and Associate Professor in the Physics Department at Instituto Superior Técnico, has reached an important milestone in his academic journey by successfully completing his Aggregation in Physics. The two-day examination took place on January 13th and 14th, 2025, at IST. The exam featured two main components: a Curricular Unit Report on the Introduction to Plasma Physics course and a seminar titled… Read more

Latest Publications

Direct laser acceleration of Bethe-Heitler positrons in laser-channel interactions, Physical Review E 111 (2025) p. 035203
Bertrand Martinez, Robert Babjak, Marija Vranic
Optimizing proton acceleration using hollow laser pulses and a double-layer target: effects of focal spot position and polarization, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 67 (2024) p. 015027
C. Willim, L. O. Silva, J. Vieira
Particle-in-cell simulations of pulsar magnetospheres: Transition between electrosphere and force-free regimes, Astronomy & Astrophysics 690 (2024) p. A229
F. Cruz , T. Grismayer, R. Torres, A. Y. Chen, A. Spitkovsky, R. A. Fonseca, and L. O. Silva
Direct laser acceleration in varying plasma density profiles, New Journal of Physics 26 (2024) p. 093002
Robert Babjak, Bertrand Martinez, Miroslav Krus, Marija Vranic

Generation of miniature magnetised shockwaves

Cascading in laser pulses

High-resolution x-ray 3D imaging of bone micro-structure

Latest News

Professor Tito Mendonça selected as outstanding referee for APS 2025

Aggregation Exam by Jorge Vieira

Latest Publications