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Stuart Mangles conducts research on intense laser-plasma interactions to create new kinds of compact particle accelerators and X-ray light sources. His work exploits the unique properties of these sources to explore the physics of extreme conditions. Particle accelerators are known as important tools for scientific discovery, but traditional ones are large and expensive. Mangles' research utilizes laser wakefield acceleration techniques that enable the production of high-energy particle and X-ray beams in a university-sized laboratory setting. Using accelerators, he is capable of producing multi-GeV electron beams from plasma accelerators just centimeters long, a feat unattainable with conventional accelerators that typically span hundreds of meters. The unique beam properties produced by laser wakefield accelerators, along with their co-location with high-power laser sources, facilitate a new generation of experimental endeavors. These experiments aim to understand how matter behaves under extreme conditions—extremely high temperatures, densities, and electromagnetic field intensities compared to those found on Earth, which are surprisingly common in the universe.
Specialisms available in Materials for the Energy Transition or Theory and Simulation of Materials.