RD5

Laser Gamma Experiments Department

The Laser Gamma Experiments Department (LGED) at ELI-NP proposes an ambitious research program, encompassing fundamental Physics and applied science. The department prepares for experiments the E7 and E4 experimental areas.
The E4 area already hosted the first ELI-NP laser-wakefield acceleration experiment, reaching electron energies upwards of 200 MeV. The E4 commissioning experiment focused on the detection of light axion-like dark matter by means of a four-wave mixing optical setup.
The E7 area aims to combine plasma and nuclear physics, recreating conditions usually found in astrophysical phenomena with the help of more beam types (such as laser and gamma beams) to be used in the same experiment.

Research Groups

Experiments
Theory and Numerical Simulations
Biophysics and Biomedical Applications

Research Topics

The proposed topics range from "Day 1" experiments using a single 1 PW laser beam, to setups built on previously obtained results:
PPEx – Production and PhotoExcitation of astrophysical isomers
RR – Radiation Reaction to validate nonlinear/non-perturbative QED
Pair – Pair creation in QED regime
Pol – Polarization properties of emission in strong fields
DM – Search for weakly coupling sub-eV Dark Matter
GG – γγ collider to verify the QED-based elastic γγ scattering
Bio – Biophysics and biomedical applications
VBir – Vacuum Birefringence via the depolarization of linearly polarized γ-rays

We have a series of research and development activities synergetic with our main research topics, for the accomplishment of the prerequisites for successful experiments (e.g., stability and repeatability, signal to noise ratio, detections) and further improvements (such as the gradual improvement of the vacuum level, beneficial for the high-sensitivity experiments):

Development of a detection system, Gamma-Polari-Calorimeter (GPC), commonly applicable to energy measurements for electrons, positrons and gamma-rays above the 0.1 GeV energy scale
Preparatory tests for laser plasma acceleration of electrons up to necessary energies 210 MeV, 2.5 GeV and 5 GeV for the later stage experiments, respectively
Tests of the behaviour of optical elements under mechanical and thermal stress generated by the bake-out procedures for ultra-high vacuum
Outgassing tests (mass spectrum measurements) for components of the optical setups to be placed in ultra-high vacuum
New methods for metabolomics
Development of NMR methods (pulse sequences) to preserve the lifetime of stable-isotope spin polarisation (long-lived states and coherences) for imaging and biomolecular studies (Patent application submitted in 2019)

International collaborations have been one of the main ingredients in the successful development of the ELI-NP scientific case, scientists from four continents proposing novel ideas that can be tested with the unique research capabilities of ELI-NP. At LGED, we are constantly eager to expand our collaborations, and we are currently collaborating for the implementation of the commissioning experiments with:

Kyoto University – ICR – preparatory experiments for DM search performed (2016-2020) in the framework of the SAPPHIRES collaboration; MoU
JAEA (presently QST) – participation to experiments of electron LWFA at J-Karen PW laser (with LDED and LSD); MoU
KEK – collaboration for detector development, MoU signed
Hiroshima University, Japan – Prof. K. Homma, Leader of the LGED TDR
Hellenic Mediterranean University, Greece – PRACE2 – numerical simulations; MoU
INFN LN Frascati – particle-driven acceleration
Lanzhou University, China – collaboration Nuclear physics, GDR
Hiroshima University, Japan – Prof. K. Homma, Leader of the LGED TDR
Institute for Chemical Research, University of Kyoto, Japan – the group led by Prof. S. Sakabe, collaboration on RD5-DM experiment topics
KEK, Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies, Japan – collaboration regarding pixelated SoI detectors with the group led by Dr. Y. Arai
Kansai Photon Science Institute, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (QST) – collaboration with the group led by Prof. M. Kando on topics of laser acceleration of electrons
Konan University – Prof. H. Utsunomiya, collaboration on LGED-PPEx topics
Institute of Plasma Physics & Lasers - Hellenic Mediterranean University, Greece
Computational Radiation Physics group, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf, Germany - developers of PIConGPU code
Sparc Lab - Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Italy
Centro de Láseres Pulsados Ultracortos Ultraintensos - Salamanca, Spain
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, United States - developers of FBPIC and WarpX
Centre of Cancer Research, Cambridge University – joint project, Biophysics group
University of Vienna – joint project in preparation, Biophysics group
Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) – submitted EU proposal, Biophysics group
Univ. Twente – submitted EU proposal, Biophysics group
Bruker Biospin – submitted project, Biophysics group
Name Position Info
Dr. Ovidiu TEȘILEANU Head of LGED CV     Info
Dr. Paul VASOS Research Scientist I CV     Info
Dr. Ștefan ATAMAN Research Scientist II (Deputy Head) CV     Info
Dr. Liviu NEAGU Research Scientist II CV     Info
Dr. Ioan URSU Research Scientist II
Dr. Andrei BERCEANU Research Scientist III CV     Info
Dr. Sophia CHEN Research Scientist III
Dr. Cesim DUMLU Research Scientist III Info
Dr. Yoshihide NAKAMIYA Research Scientist III Info
Dr. Madalin ROSU Research Scientist III Info
Dr. Aude SADET Research Scientist III
Dr. Mihai VODĂ Research Scientist III
Dr. Georgiana GIUBEGA Research Scientist
Dr. Adonis LUPULESCU Research Scientist
Dr. Jian Fuh ONG Research Scientist Info
Cătălin CHIOCHIU Engineer
Flanish D'SOUZA Engineer
Karunesh Kumar MISHRA Post-Doctoral Research Assistant
Dr. Vanessa Phung Post-doctoral Research Assistant
Dr. Alexei ZUBRAEV Post-doctoral Research Assistant
Ioana FIDEL Doctoral Research Assistant
Florin TELEANU Doctoral Research Assistant
Vadim MUNTEANU Physicist
Kazuo TANAKA Physicist
Alexandru TOPOR Chemist
Silvana VASILCA Chemist
Octavian IANC Technician
Diana SERAFIN Technician
Ștefan TĂZLAUANU Technician
Oana LAZĂR Administrative assistant

Photo Gallery

Vacuum chamber for testing experimental setups, in the ELI-NP vacuum laboratory

Vacuum chamber for testing experimental setups, in the ELI-NP vacuum laboratory.

Thermal image of a vacuum setup during the bake-out procedure

Thermal image of a vacuum setup during the bake-out procedure

Two LGED members preparing a setup in the vacuum laboratory

Two LGED members preparing a setup in the vacuum laboratory

 The Gamma-Polari-Calorimeter prototype in its early days - during the alignment

The Gamma-Polari-Calorimeter prototype in its early days - during the alignment

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Experimental setup inside the E4 chamber

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LWFA setup inside the E4 chamber

Contact Us

Department Secretary

office.lgedeli-np.ro

(+4)037.467.63.23

Publications