ACCELERATES featured in National TV show aired during 2013 and 2014
The project ACCELERATES has been highlighted in the tv show 100 segundos de ciência/100 seconds of science in a short documentary (100 seconds of duration) describing the project and aired several times in prime time in 2013 and 2014.
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.
Brillouin amplification: towards next generation laser energy densities
This animation illustrates efficient energy transfer from a long and energetic pump to a short probe laser pulse via stimulated Brillouin backscattering. It is shown that the probe pulse can be amplified to to high intensities (15x pump intensity) while preserving a smooth envelope. Pushing the interaction further leads to probe filamentation, which destroys the probe envelope and limits the amplification process.
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.
Welcome to the website of the Group of Lasers and Plasmas of the Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear at Instituto Superior Técnico.
