High Energy Density Science

Topics of study include laser wakefield electron acceleration, ion and proton acceleration from laser-matter interaction, high neutron flux production, efficient electron-positron pair production, nuclear fusion from gas clusters, extreme ultraviolet light production and spectroscopy, equations-of-state of materials at conditions found in planetary cores and stars, laboratory astrophysics, and extreme field physics, specifically the study of quantum processes in strong classical fields as found in black holes, hadron collisions or ultra-intense laser fields. Our research includes experimental studies at several ultra-high-intensity laser systems, numerical studies including massively parallel simulations using supercomputers at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), and theoretical studies of strongly coupled and/or relativistic plasmas and the development of quantum field theories.