Skip to main content Skip to navigation

Alex Seaton

Position: PhD Student

Research Interests:

My research focuses on modelling laser-plasma instabilities in the shock-ignition approach to Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). These instabilities couple energy from the laser into other waves - such as scattered light or electron plasma waves. This not only reduces the efficiency of the laser drive, but the electron plasma waves generate fast electrons which are able to preheat the fuel, increasing the amount of energy necessary to compress it. Understanding the dynamics of these instabilities is crucial for future shock-ignition experiments. To study these instabilities, which often involve complex nonlinear and kinetic effects, I perform large-scale 2D particle-in-cell simulations using the relativistic particle-in-cell code EPOCH.

Contact Details

Alexander Seaton

Telephone: +44 (0)2476 150215

Email: A dot Seaton at warwick dot ac dot uk

Office: PS1.07