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Atomic and Laser Physics
Credit: Jack Hobhouse

Colin Danson

Visitor - OxCHEDS

Sub department

  • Atomic and Laser Physics

Research groups

  • Oxford Centre for High Energy Density Science (OxCHEDS)
colin.danson@physics.ox.ac.uk
  • About
  • Publications

A history of high-power laser research and development in the United Kingdom

High Power Laser Science and Engineering Cambridge University Press 9 (2021) e18

Authors:

Colin Danson, Malcolm White, John RM Barr, Paul Ewart, Simon Hooker, Colin Webb, Justin Wark

Abstract:

The first demonstration of laser action in ruby was made in 1960 by T. H. Maiman of Hughes Research Laboratories, USA. Many laboratories worldwide began the search for lasers using different materials, operating at different wavelengths. In the UK, academia, industry and the central laboratories took up the challenge from the earliest days to develop these systems for a broad range of applications. This historical review looks at the contribution the UK has made to the advancement of the technology, the development of systems and components and their exploitation over the last 60 years.
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Observations of pressure anisotropy effects within semi-collisional magnetized plasma bubbles.

Nature communications 12:1 (2021) 334

Authors:

Er Tubman, As Joglekar, Afa Bott, M Borghesi, B Coleman, G Cooper, Cn Danson, P Durey, Jm Foster, P Graham, G Gregori, Et Gumbrell, Mp Hill, T Hodge, S Kar, Rj Kingham, M Read, Cp Ridgers, J Skidmore, C Spindloe, Agr Thomas, P Treadwell, S Wilson, L Willingale, Nc Woolsey

Abstract:

Magnetized plasma interactions are ubiquitous in astrophysical and laboratory plasmas. Various physical effects have been shown to be important within colliding plasma flows influenced by opposing magnetic fields, however, experimental verification of the mechanisms within the interaction region has remained elusive. Here we discuss a laser-plasma experiment whereby experimental results verify that Biermann battery generated magnetic fields are advected by Nernst flows and anisotropic pressure effects dominate these flows in a reconnection region. These fields are mapped using time-resolved proton probing in multiple directions. Various experimental, modelling and analytical techniques demonstrate the importance of anisotropic pressure in semi-collisional, high-β plasmas, causing a reduction in the magnitude of the reconnecting fields when compared to resistive processes. Anisotropic pressure dynamics are crucial in collisionless plasmas, but are often neglected in collisional plasmas. We show pressure anisotropy to be essential in maintaining the interaction layer, redistributing magnetic fields even for semi-collisional, high energy density physics (HEDP) regimes.
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Laser produced electromagnetic pulses: generation, detection and mitigation

High Power Laser Science and Engineering Cambridge University Press (CUP) 8 (2020) e22

Authors:

Fabrizio Consoli, Vladimir T Tikhonchuk, Matthieu Bardon, Philip Bradford, David C Carroll, Jakub Cikhardt, Mattia Cipriani, Robert J Clarke, Thomas E Cowan, Colin N Danson, Riccardo De Angelis, Massimo De Marco, Jean-Luc Dubois, Bertrand Etchessahar, Alejandro Laso Garcia, David I Hillier, Ales Honsa, Weiman Jiang, Viliam Kmetik, Josef Krása, Yutong Li, Frédéric Lubrano, Paul McKenna, Josefine Metzkes-Ng, Alexandre Poyé, Irene Prencipe, Piotr Ra̧czka, Roland A Smith, Roman Vrana, Nigel C Woolsey, Egle Zemaityte, Yihang Zhang, Zhe Zhang, Bernhard Zielbauer, David Neely
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Petawatt and exawatt class lasers worldwide

High Power Laser Science and Engineering Cambridge University Press (CUP) 7 (2019) e54

Authors:

Colin N Danson, Constantin Haefner, Jake Bromage, Thomas Butcher, Jean-Christophe F Chanteloup, Enam A Chowdhury, Almantas Galvanauskas, Leonida A Gizzi, Joachim Hein, David I Hillier, Nicholas W Hopps, Yoshiaki Kato, Efim A Khazanov, Ryosuke Kodama, Georg Korn, Ruxin Li, Yutong Li, Jens Limpert, Jingui Ma, Chang Hee Nam, David Neely, Dimitrios Papadopoulos, Rory R Penman, Liejia Qian, Jorge J Rocca, Andrey A Shaykin, Craig W Siders, Christopher Spindloe, Sándor Szatmári, Raoul MGM Trines, Jianqiang Zhu, Ping Zhu, Jonathan D Zuegel
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Counterpropagating Radiative Shock Experiments on the Orion Laser.

Physical review letters 119:5 (2017) 055001

Authors:

F Suzuki-Vidal, T Clayson, C Stehlé, GF Swadling, JM Foster, J Skidmore, P Graham, GC Burdiak, SV Lebedev, U Chaulagain, RL Singh, ET Gumbrell, S Patankar, C Spindloe, J Larour, M Kozlova, R Rodriguez, JM Gil, G Espinosa, P Velarde, C Danson

Abstract:

We present new experiments to study the formation of radiative shocks and the interaction between two counterpropagating radiative shocks. The experiments are performed at the Orion laser facility, which is used to drive shocks in xenon inside large aspect ratio gas cells. The collision between the two shocks and their respective radiative precursors, combined with the formation of inherently three-dimensional shocks, provides a novel platform particularly suited for the benchmarking of numerical codes. The dynamics of the shocks before and after the collision are investigated using point-projection x-ray backlighting while, simultaneously, the electron density in the radiative precursor was measured via optical laser interferometry. Modeling of the experiments using the 2D radiation hydrodynamic codes nym and petra shows very good agreement with the experimental results.
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