High energy density physics and inertial fusion energy
G Gregori

Dr Gianluca Gregori

(PhD University of Minnesota)
            
RCUK Research Fellow
 Clarendon Laboratory, Simon Room
 Phone: +44 (0) 1865 282639
Fax: +44 (0) 1865 282296
 Email: g.gregori1@physics.ox.ac.uk
Web:
http://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/users/gregorig/
 

High energy density refers to energy densities exceeding 10^11 Joules per cubic meter (J/m^3), or equivalent, pressures exceeding 1 megabar (Mbar). High energy density experiments span a wide range of areas of physics including plasma physics, laser and particle beam physics, material science, intense radiation-matter interaction, and astrophysics. These exotic states of matter are created when a high power laser irradiates a solid or a gas target, forming a plasma. The directed energy from the laser is converted into thermal energy as well as charged particles and x-rays. The transition between the initial solid to the final plasma state is also of interest, as it unveils the loss and formation of long-range order with associated changes in the atomic structure of dense matter. This transition region is referred to as warm dense matter. Such plasmas are often of interest from the point of view of astrophysics, as many of the phenomena  that occur are similar to those found in specific astrophysical context, for example, supernovae explosions, white dwarfs and interior of stars and planets.

In particular, our research work is focussed on the following areas:

·       X-ray scattering measurements of the microscopic properties of exotic plasmas created in laser-plasma experiments.
·       Structural dynamics of the solid-to-plasma phase transition.
·       Ultrafast electron diffraction and energy loss spectroscopy of warm dense matter.
·       Electron and thermal transport in high-intensity laser plasma-experiments.
·       Fusion energy with lasers, with particular interests in the fast ignitor approach to inertial confinement fusion.

 

Recent Publications

S. H. Glenzer, O. L. Landen, P. Neumayer, R. W. Lee, K. Widmann, S. W. Pollaine, R. J. Wallace, G. Gregori, A. Höll, T. Bornath, R. Thiele, V. Schwarz, W.-D. Kraeft, and R. Redmer, Observations of plasmons in warm dense matter, Phys. Rev. Lett., 98, 065002 (2007)

K. U. Akli, M. H. Key, H.-K. Chung, S. B. Hansen, R. R. Freeman, M. H. Chen, G. Gregori, S. Hatchett, D. Hey, N. Izumi, J. King, J. Kuba, P. Norreys, A. J. Mackinnon, C. D. Murphy, R. Snavely, R. B. Stephens, C. Stoeckel, W. Theobald, and B. Zhang, Temperature sensitivity of Cu Ka  imaging efficiency using a spherical Bragg reflecting crystal, Phys. Plasmas, 14, 023102 (2007)

G. Gregori, A. Ravasio, A. Höll, S. H. Glenzer, and S. J. Rose, Analytical derivation of the static structure factor in strongly-coupled non-equilibrium plasmas for x-ray scattering studies, High Energy Density Phys., 3, 99 (2007)

A. Höll, Th. Bornath, L. Cao, T. Döppner, S. Düsterer, E. Förster,  C. Fortmannm S. H. Glenzer, G. Gregori, T. Laarmann, K.-H. Meiwes-Broer, A. Przystawik, P. Radcliffe, R. Redmer, H. Reinholz, G. Röpke, R. Thiele, J. Tiggesbäumker, S. Toleikis, N. X. Truong, T. Tschentscher, I. Uschmann, U. Zastrau, Thomson scattering from near-solid density plasmas using soft x-ray free electron lasers, High Energy Density Phys., 3, 120 (2007)

G. Gregori, R. Tommasini, O. L. Landen, R. W. Lee, S. H. Glenzer, Limits on collective x-ray scattering imposed by coherence, Europhys. Lett., 74, 637 (2006)

G. Gregori, S. H. Glenzer, and O. L. Landen, Generalized x-ray cross section from non-equilibrium plasmas, Phys. Rev. E, 74, 026402 (2006)

R. W. Lee, S. J. Moon, H.-K. Chung, R. C. Cauble, S. Glenzer, O. L. Landen, S. J. Rose, H. A. Scott, G. Gregori, and D. Riley, High energy density science with FELs, intense short pulse tunable x-ray sources, Proc. SPIE, 6261, 1 (2006)

J. F. Hansen, M. J. Edwards, D. Froula, G. Gregori, A. Edens, and T. Ditmire, Laboratory Secondary Shock Formation in Xenon-Nitrogen Mixtures, Phys. Plasmas, 13, 022105 (2006)

G. Gregori, S. B. Hansen, R. Clarke, R. Heathcote, M. H. Key, J. King, R. I. Klein, N. Izumi, A. J. Mackinnon, S. J. Moon, H.-S.Park, J.Pasley, N. Patel, P. K. Patel, B. A. Remington, D. D. Ryutov, R. Shepherd, R. A. Snavely, S. C. Wilks, B. B. Zhang, and S. H. Glenzer, Experimental Characterization of a Strongly Coupled Solid Density Plasma Generated in a Short-pulse Laser Target Interaction, Contrib. Experimental Characterization of a Strongly Coupled Solid Density Plasma Generated in a Short-pulse Laser Target Interaction, Plasma Phys. 45, 284 (2005)

C. Niemann, L. Divol, D. H. Froula, G. Gregori, O. Jones, R. K. Kirkwood, A. J. Mackinnon, N. B. Meezan, J. D. Moody, C. Sorce, L. J. Suter, R. Bahr, W. Seka, S. H. Glenzer, Intensity Limits for Propagation of 0.527 mm Laser Beams through Large-Scale-Length Plasmas for Inertial Confinement Fusion, Phys. Rev. Lett., 94, 085005 (2005)

G. Gregori, S. H. Glenzer, J. Knight, C. Niemann, D. Price, D. H. Froula, M. J. Edwards, R. P. J. Town, A. Brantov, W. Rozmus, V. Yu. Bychenkov, Effect of nonlocal transport on heat wave propagation, Phys. Rev. Lett., 92, 205006 (2004)

G. Gregori, S. H. Glenzer, F. J. Rogers, S. M. Pollaine, C. Blancard, G. Faussurier, P. Renaudin, S. Kuhlbrodt,R. Redmer, and O. L. Landen, Electronic structure measurements of dense plasmas, Phys. Plasmas, Phys. Plasmas, 11, 2754 (2004)

G. Gregori, S. H. Glenzer, R. W. Lee, and O. L. Landen, Strong coupling corrections in the analysis of x-ray Thomson scattering measurements, J. Phys. A: Math. Gen., 36, 5971 (2003)

S. H. Glenzer, G. Gregori, R. W. Lee, F. J. Rogers, S. W. Pollaine, and O. L. Landen, Demonstration of x-ray Thomson scattering, Phys. Rev. Lett., 90, 175002 (2003)

D. H. Froula, L. Divol, A. Mackinnon, G. Gregori, and S. H. Glenzer, Direct observation of detuning of the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) process by a velocity gradient, Phys. Rev. Lett., 90, 155003 (2003)

G. Gregori, S. H. Glenzer, W. Rozmus, R. W. Lee, and O. L. Landen, Theoretical model of x-ray scattering as a dense matter probe, Phys. Rev. E, 67, 026412 (2003)

G. Gregori, U. Kortshagen, J. Heberlein, E. Pfender, Analysis of Thomson scattering results from an arc plasma jet, Phys. Rev. E, 65, 046411 (2002)

G. Gregori, Francesco Miniati, Dongsu Ryu, T. W. Jones, 3-D MHD numerical simulations of cloud-wind interactions, Astrophysical Journal, 543, 775 (2000)

G. Gregori, Francesco Miniati, Dongsu Ryu, T. W. Jones, Enhanced cloud disruption by magnetic field interaction, Astrophysical Journal, 527, L113 (1999)

G. Gregori, J. Schein, P. Schwendinger, U. Kortshagen, J. Heberlein, E. Pfender, Thomson scattering measurements in atmospheric plasma jets, Phys. Rev. E, 59(2), 2286 (1999)