Compact, high brightness neutron beamline using intense lasers

The sustained development of high-power laser technologies is revolutionizing the future of small-scale neutron sources. Epithermal neutrons are incredibly important in the world of neutron science, with applications in healthcare, security and industry. However, these neutrons are produced at multi-billion pound accelerator driven facilities, limiting their availability to the scientific community, hence the need for a laser-driven source.

My research focuses on designing and building a compact epithermal neutron source for the EPAC at the Central Laser Facility (CLF). A laser-driven neutron source would be vital to research areas such as Boron Neutron Capture Therapy in cancer research as well as homeland security and industrial applications. The goal of my research project is to go from a proof-of-principle demonstration to a prototype over the course of the PhD programme, by using the leading experimental and computational resources available at both institutions (QUB and CLF).

Biography

After graduating with a First Class Honours from a Master’s degree in Physics with Astrophysics at Queen’s University Belfast, I held a full time position at Randox Laboratories before pursuing a PhD. I began my PhD within the Centre for Plasma Physics in November, 2020. My Master’s research project focused on telescope operation to study RR Lyrae within the globular cluster M13. Throughout my time at Queen’s I have also completed an international Internship at the Beijing Institute of Technology, researching electric and autonomous vehicles. I have always been interested in the experimental side of Physics, with a particular interest in medical applications, which led me to study this PhD.

Research interests

• Laser Driven Neutron Sources
• High Intensity Lasers
• Boron Neutron Capture Therapy