The CLF Annual Report 2021-22 provides a snapshot of some of the scientific and technical research that has been carried out by users of the CLF and its staff over the financial year 2021-22. Hard copies are available on request: please contact us if you wish to receive a printed version of this CLF Annual Report or to ask to be added to our Mailing List for future Reports.
Where available, associated full articles are available to download or view below. All pages are PDF documents and open in a new tab.
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Foreword (PDF – 395 KB)
Overview (PDF – 536 KB)
Industrial engagement and innovation (PDF – 524 KB)
Communication and outreach activities within the CLF (PDF – 1,124 KB)
Advancing towards EPAC (PDF – 469 KB)
There are three papers connected with this article, covering: the laser systems (PDF - 1,763 KB); the experimental areas (PDF - 605 KB); and targetry developments (PDF - 261 KB).
High Energy Density & High Intensity Physics (synopsis of each article) (PDF – 469 KB)
1. Generation of intense second harmonic light from aperture targets (PDF – 1,129 KB)
2. Effect of laser temporal intensity skew on enhancing pair production in laser—electron-beam collisions (Link to published paper)
3. Characterisation of laser plasma betatron source for high resolution x-ray imaging (Link to published paper)
4. Industrial imaging using bremsstrahlung generated by a laser-plasma accelerator (PDF – 706 KB – link opens in a new window)
5. Investigation of the ejected mass during high-intensity laser solid interaction for improved plasma mirror generation (Link to published paper)
6. A laser-plasma platform for photon-photon physics: the two photon Breit-Wheeler process (Link to published paper)
7. Parametric study of high-energy ring-shaped electron beams from a laser wakefield accelerator (Link to published paper)
8. Selective ion acceleration by intense radiation pressure (Link to published paper)
9. Kinematics of femtosecond laser-generated plasma expansion: Determination of sub-micron density gradient and collisionality evolution of over-critical laser plasmas (Link to published paper)
10. Measuring multi-tesla, transient magnetic fields in laser-driven coils using dual-axis proton deflectometry (Link to published paper)
11. Measuring the principal Hugoniot of inertial-confinement-fusion-relevant TMPTA plastic foams (Link to published paper)
12. Generation of photoionised plasmas in the laboratory of relevance to accretion-powered x-ray sources using keV line radiation (Abstract only – PDF – 122 KB)
13. Triggering and probing electromagnetic stochasticity in a low-density magnetised plasma irradiated by a multi-speckled laser beam (PDF – 3,268 KB)
Laser Science & Development (synopsis of each article) (PDF – 553 KB)
14. Laser shock peening of tungsten and its dependency on polarisation of light for induced compressive stresses (Link to published paper)
15. Development of an automated null ellipsometer for characterising large-aperture, high-reflectance optical coatings used in DiPOLE systems (PDF – 1,866 KB)
16. Second and third harmonic conversion of a kilowatt average power, 100J-level diode pumped Yb:YAG laser in large aperture LBO (Link to published paper)
17. Confinement and absorption layer free nanosecond laser shock peening of tungsten and its alloy (Link to published paper)
18. Modernisation of the Gemini TA2 vacuum control system (PDF – 139 KB)
19. Full automation of Thompson chamber for Gemini experiments (PDF – 302 KB)
20. EPICS laser control system GUI using Blazor (PDF – 285 KB)
21. VOPPEL compression chamber grating stages fault finding, characterisation and testing (PDF – 276 KB)
22. Software developments in Gemini (PDF – 367 KB)
23. Proposed Target Area 2 work-plan in preparation for EPAC (PDF – 349 KB)
24. Contrast enhancement by the transmission grating in the stretcher (PDF – 441 KB)
25. Vertically aligned nanowire arrays as laser targets (PDF – 413 KB)
26. MATLAB-based analysis of micro-target surfaces for evaluation and optimal laser shot positioning (PDF – 272 KB)
27. Particle functionalisation for dispersion of inorganic 'dust' within low density polymeric targets (PDF – 265 KB)
28. Advances in tape target technologies towards 1Hz operation for EPAC and other high repetition rate facilities (PDF – 473 KB)
29. Time-resolved multiple probe UV-vis transient absorption spectroscopy at 100 kHz (PDF – 200 KB)
30. Kerr-gated Raman experiment driven by 100 kHz Ytterbium based OPCPA laser system (PDF – 164 KB)
31. Dispersion management in the Vulcan OPCPA petawatt laser using a grating-prism compressor (PDF – 255 KB)
32. Progress on improving stability of the short picosecond pulse by fast stabilisation in Vulcan (PDF – 7,607 KB)
33. Novel active near-field and far-field fast beam stabilisation of a picosecond short pulse (PDF – 592 KB)
Plasma Diagnostics (synopsis of each article) (PDF – 116 KB)
34. Development of an imaging spectrometer for high-repetition rate proton measurement (PDF – 4,854 KB)
Ultrafast & XUV science (PDF – 104 KB)
35. Development of an imaging spectrometer for high-repetition rate proton measurement (Abstract only available – PDF – 109 KB)
36. Photoelectron imaging in the molecular frame (Abstract only available – PDF – 115 KB)
Imaging & Dynamics for Physical & Life Science (synopsis of each article) (PDF – 773 KB)
37. Resolving the effect of oxygen vacancies on Co nanostructures using soft XAS/X-PEEM (Link to published paper)
38. Multi-dimensional and spatiotemporal correlative imaging at the plasma membrane of live cells to determine the continuum nano-to-micro scale lipid adaptation and collective motion (Abstract only available: Link to abstract site)
39. Real-time imaging and analysis of cell-hydrogel interplay within an extrusion-bioprinting capillary (Link to published paper)
40. Super-resolution microscopy using a biorthogonal-based cholesterol probe provides unprecedented capabilities for imaging nanoscale lipid heterogeneity in living cells (Link to published paper)
41. Identification of a new cholesterol-binding site within the IFN-Υ receptor that is required for signal transduction (Link to published paper)
42. Measurement of gas-phase OH radical oxidation and film thickness of organic films at the air–water interface using material extracted from urban, remote and wood smoke aerosol (Link to published paper)
43. Mie scattering from optically levitated mixed sulfuric acid–silica core–shell aerosols: observation of core–shell morphology for atmospheric science (Link to published paper)
44. A dinuclear osmium(II) complex near-infrared nanoscopy probe for nuclear DNA (Link to published paper)
45. The impact of molecular self-organisation on the atmospheric fate of a cooking aerosol proxy (Link to published paper)
46. Sphingomyelin depletion inhibits CXCR4 dynamics and CXCL12-mediated directed cell migration in human T cells (Link to published paper)
47. AR cooperates with SMAD4 to maintain skeletal muscle homeostasis (Link to published paper)
48. Myosin VI regulates the spatial organisation of mammalian transcription initiation (Link to published paper)
49. In situ sol–gel synthesis of unique silica structures using airborne assembly: implications for in-air reactive manufacturing (Link to published paper)
50. Correlative multi-scale cryo-imaging unveils SARS-CoV-2 assembly and egress (Link to published paper)
51. Shining light on metalloenzyme catalysis (Abstract only available – PDF – 224 KB)
52. A flexible mid-IR laser with high power for temperature-jump spectroscopy (PDF – 170 KB)
53. Kerr gated Raman spectroscopy as a diagnostic for high states of electrochemical lithium intercalation into graphite electrodes for Li-ion cells (Abstract only available – PDF – 138 KB)
54. 2D-IR spectroscopy reveals structural and dynamical details of [NiFe] hydrogenases (Abstract only available – PDF – 277 KB)
55. Temperature-jump/drop infrared spectroscopy reveals RNA tetraloop refolding dynamics (Abstract only available – PDF – 114 KB)
56. A comprehensive understanding of carbon–carbon bond formation by alkyne migratory insertion into manganacycles (Link to published paper)
57. The influence of the epigenetic base 5-methly-cytosine on DNA Excited state dynamics (PDF – 491 KB)
58. G-quadruplex binding of an enantiomeric osmium polypyridyl probe revealed by time-resolved infrared and NMR solution studies (PDF – 476 KB)
Operational Statistics (PDF – 371 KB)
Publications (PDF – 219 KB)
Panel membership (PDF – 231 KB)
CLF Structure (PDF – 110 KB)
