101 100 Principal Scientist Profiles Malte C. Kaluza Malte C. Kaluza Principal Scientist Profiles PROFESSOR OF EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS/ RELATIVISTIC LASER PHYSICS, INSTITUTE OF OPTICS AND QUANTUM ELECTRONICS Prof. Kaluza is director of the Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics. He is a member of the extended board of directors of the Helmholtz Institute Jena, member of the Senate of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the coordinator of the Erasmus Program of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy. Dr. Kaluza is the head of the HighIntensity Laser Physics Group at the Center for Innovation Competence »ultra optics«. MALTE C. KALUZA RESEARCH AREAS Prof. Kaluza’s research focuses on the generation and application of electromagnetic pulses from the THz to the x-ray regime with extreme parameters, reaching peak powers up to Terawatt or Petawatt for the study of various phenomena in non-linear relativistic optics. These studies also include: • Development of laser systems with peak powers from TW to PW • Laser-based particle acceleration • Secondary electromagnetic pulses with ultra-short duration • High-resolution probing of transient states of matter with optical pulses and particle beams • Development, characterization, and application of novel materials for laser operation TEACHING FIELDS Prof. Kaluza’s teaching is devoted to young scientist education from their first year onward to the doctorate level using state-of-the-art research. He gives courses in: • 1st year experimental physics • High-intensity, relativistic optics • Plasma physics RESEARCH METHODS In Prof. Kaluza‘s group‘s laboratories, a wide range of methods is developed and used to generate and apply high-intensity laser pulses. These methods include: • Operation of the POLARIS laser system • Cryogenic cooling for laser amplifiers • Operation of burst-mode lasers both with high peak and high average power • High-resolution spectroscopy and characterization of laser materials • Few-cycle optical probing techniques • High-resolution characterization of ultra-short highenergy particle and photon pulses RECENT RESEARCH RESULTS The Relativistic Laser Physics Group has recently achieved considerable progress in the field of laser-driven particle acceleration. Both the generation of electron [1] and ion pulses [2] from relativistic laser-plasma interactions and the possibility to actively tailor the energy distribution of the particles offer a number of important applications for the future. Here, the application of these particle pulses, both for the realization of ultra-short x-ray pulses and for the future development of a laser-based particle accelerator for radiation therapy in medicine, are the subject of our ongoing research. In addition, the development and application of optical probing techniques by the Relativistic Laser Physics Group has led to the first observation of transient structures in lasergenerated plasmas on µm- and fs-scales. Both the observation of the plasma wave, the transient acceleration structure in the plasma responsible for the generation of monoenergetic electron pulses, and the determination of the electron pulse duration with these techniques, have led to an insight into the acceleration mechanisms with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution [3]. Furthermore, new approaches for the generation and amplification of high-power laser pulses have been studied by the Relativistic Laser Physics Group. These include the development and characterization [4] of new laser materials, especially Yb3+-doped CaF 2, which is well suited for diode-pumping as used in the operation of the POLARIS laser which is currently the most powerful, diode-pumped system worldwide. To enhance the performance of such laser systems, novel cryogenic cooling techniques are being developed with the aim of increasing the repetition rate of the laser pulses. EFFICIENT LASER-DRIVEN PROTON ACCELERATION FROM A CRYOGENIC SOLID HYDROGEN TARGET Using cryogenically cooled, solid hydrogen filaments as a novel type of targets for laser-driven proton acceleration at the POLARIS laser system, the Relativistic Laser Physics Group could demonstrate a significant enhancement of the conversion-efficiency from laser pulse energy to protons up to the level of several percent. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the laser and target conditions has shown that the protons with the highest kinetic energies are accelerated by a novel laser-acceleration mechanism for protons: the acceleration due to the formation of collisionless shocks. These results may help to significantly improve the prospects of laser-accelerated proton pulses for future applications. Image taken from [2]. [1] Kuschel et al., Phys. Rev Lett. 121, 154801 (2018). [2] Polz et al., Sci. Rep. 9, 16534 (2019). [3] Downer et al., Rev Mod Phys. 90, 035002 (2018). [4] Tamer et al., Laser & Photonics Reviews 12, 1700211 (2018). Contact: Phone: + 49 3641 9-47280 Email: malte.kaluza@uni-jena.de
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