IST (Lisbon, Portugal)

Research highlights

Plasma Physics

A suite of massively parallel codes to explore plasma physics at all scales and under the presence of ultraintense fields, in particular at the intensity frontier in connection with the interplay of QED effects with plasmas and the generation of secondary pair plasmas and hard photons.

Plasma accelerators

Theoretical and numerical advances on the physics of laser- and beam-plasma accelerators and their relevance for radiation generation and particle acceleration at the energy frontier, and the development of long plasma sources for the next generation of plasma based accelerators and their applications as secondary radiation sources.

Secondary X-rays

Research on novel imaging and diagnostics using coherent XUV sources

Laser development

Research in nonlinear materials and techniques for ultrabroadband OPCPA, ultrashort pulse diagnostics and amplification to high energy in the mid-infrared.

Further application highlights

Lasers and the Universe

Expertise

IST-ID’s Laser and Plasma Group (GoLP) is integrated in the Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion, an Associated Laboratory for Plasma Physics, Nuclear Fusion and Intense Lasers – a status given by the Portuguese Ministry of Science to the top research units of high strategic relevance to the country. GoLP manages L2I – Laboratory for Intense Lasers, the largest laser laboratory in Portugal, and VOXEL, a laboratory dedicated to research in x-rays and high harmonic generation.

GoLP has also developed a wide expertise in massively parallel plasma simulations and laser-plasma theory, and their impact in other fields. Recent developments have expanded these studies to the realm of QED physics, where the interplay between lasers, plasmas and secondary pair plasmas and hard photons plays a critical role. This has been sustained by theoretical and numerical developments that also aim to support the experimental efforts at the next generation of ultraintense laser facilities.

Its major research areas are:

Laser science and technology, with an emphasis in:

1. Nonlinear materials and techniques for high energy, ultrabroadband optical parametric chirped pulse amplification
2. Short pulse laser diagnostics
3. Chirped-pulse amplification and high-power laser design

Laser-plasma interactions, (experimental, theory and simulations) with an emphasis in:

1. Electron and ion acceleration
2. High-harmonic generation and X-ray sources
3. Inertial fusion benchmarking
4. Plasma diagnostics
5. Targetry for advanced light sources and plasma particle accelerators
6. Laboratory astrophysics
7. Extreme plasma physics and QED plasma processes