Professor Paul McKenna

Head Of Department

Physics

Personal statement

Paul McKenna's research interests focus on high power laser-plasma interactions. His present research topics include: laser-driven ion acceleration; fast electron generation and transport in dense plasma, and application to the development of advanced schemes for inertial fusion energy; high field physics at the focus of ultra-intense laser pulses; plasma optics; and, laser-driven nuclear physics.

He is an EPSRC Leadership fellow since 2012 and a Professor of Laser-Plasma Physics at the University of Strathclyde since 2011. He received his PhD at Queens University Belfast in 2000, before becoming a postdoctoral fellow at the university of Glasgow from 2000-2002. From 2002-2005, he held a Royal Society of Edinburgh Personal Research Fellowship at the University of Strathclyde, and was appointed to a Lectureship at the university in 2006, and a Readership in 2008.

Publications

Laser produced electromagnetic pulses : generation, detection and mitigation: Consoli Fabrizio, Tikhonchuk Vladimir T, Bardon Matthieu, Bradford Philip, Carroll David C, Cikhardt Jakub, Cipriani Mattia, Clarke Robert J, Cowan Tom, Danson Colin N, De Angelis Riccardo, De Marco Massimo, Dubois Jean-Luc, Etchessahar Bertrand, Laso Garcia Alejandro, Hillier David I, Honsa Ales, Jiang Weiman, Kmetik Viliam, Krása Josef, LI Yutong, Lubrano Frédéric, McKenna Paul, Metzkes-Ng Josefine, Poyé Alexandre, Prencipe Irene, Rączka Piotr, Smith Roland A, Vrana Roman, Woolsey Nigel C, Zemaityte Egle, Zhang Yihang, Zhang Zhe, Zielbauer Bernhard, Neely David; High Power Laser Science and Engineering Vol 8 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1017/hpl.2020.13
Extremely brilliant GeV γ-rays from a two-stage laser-plasma accelerator: Zhu Xing-Long, Chen Min, Weng Su-Ming, Yu Tong-Pu, Wang Wei-Min, He Feng, Sheng Zheng-Ming, McKenna Paul, Jaroszynski Dino A, Zhang Jie; Science Advances Vol 6, pp. eaaz7240 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz7240
Energy absorption and coupling to electrons in the transition from surface- to volume-dominant intense laser-plasma interaction regimes: Williamson S D R, Gray R J, King M, Wilson R, Dance R J, Armstrong C, Rusby D R, Brabetz C, Wagner F, Zielbauer B, Bagnoud V, Neely D, McKenna P; New Journal of Physics Vol 22 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab86df
A miniature thermal neutron source using high power lasers: Mirfayzi S R, Ahmed H, Doria D, Alejo A, Ansell S, Clarke RJ, Gonzalez-Izquierdo B, Hadjisolomou P, Heathcote R, Hodge T, Martin P, Raspino D, Schooneveld E, McKenna P, Rhodes NJ, Neely D, Borghesi M, Kar S; Applied Physics Letters Vol 116 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0003170
Enhanced brightness of a laser-driven X-ray and particle source by microstructured surfaces of silicon targets: Ebert Tina, Neumann Nico W, Döhl Leonard N K, Jarrett Jonathan, Baird Christopher, Heathcote Robert, Hesse Markus, Hughes Aasia, McKenna Paul, Neely David, Rusby Dean, Schaumann Gabriel, Spindloe Christopher, Tebartz Alexandra, Woolsey Nigel, Roth Markus; Physics of Plasmas Vol 27 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5125775
Effect of plastic coating on the density of plasma formed in Si foil targets irradiated by ultra-high-contrast relativistic laser pulses: Martynenko A S, Pikuz SA, Skobelev I Yu, Ryazantsev S N, Baird C, Booth N, Doehl L, Durey P, Faenov A Ya, Farley D, Kodama R, Lancaster K, McKenna P, Murphy C D, Spindloe C, Pikuz T A, Woolsey N; Physical Review E Vol 101 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.101.043208

more publications

Professional activities

Program Committee meeting for the 47th European Physical Society Plasma Physics conference: Participant; 5/12/2019
Invited Talk at the First ELI-NP Users Conference: Speaker; 7/11/2019
PI on Gemini experiment on relativistic transparency in ultrathin foils: Recipient; 4/11/2019
Talk at the XFEL Workshop on Matter at Extreme Conditions: Speaker; 2/10/2019
Invited Talk at 1st Nature Conference on Plasma Physics - Advances and Applications in Plasma Physics: Participant; 17/9/2019
External examiner for PhD thesis at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai: Examiner; 1/9/2019

more professional activities

Projects

PANAMA: Plasma Accelerators for Nuclear Applications and Materials Analysis (panama) - National Nuclear User Facility Phase 2: Renshaw, Joanna (Principal Investigator) Jaroszynski, Dino (Co-investigator) Lunn, Rebecca (Co-investigator) McKenna, Paul (Co-investigator) Bots, Pieter (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2019 - 30-Jan-2023
Doctoral Training Partnership 2018-19 University of Strathclyde | Dolier, Ewan: McKenna, Paul (Principal Investigator) Gray, Ross (Co-investigator) Dolier, Ewan (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2019 - 01-Jan-2023
Doctoral Training Partnership 2018-19 University of Strathclyde | Goodman, Jack: McKenna, Paul (Principal Investigator) Gray, Ross (Co-investigator) Goodman, Jack (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2019 - 01-Jan-2023
Doctoral Training Partnership 2018-19 University of Strathclyde | Lofrese, Antonio: McKenna, Paul (Principal Investigator) Gray, Ross (Co-investigator) Lofrese, Antonio (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2019 - 01-Jan-2022
Advanced laser-plasma optics technology | Lofrese, Antonio: McKenna, Paul (Principal Investigator) Gray, Ross (Co-investigator) Lofrese, Antonio (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2019 - 01-Jan-2022
Advanced laser-plasma optics technology: McKenna, Paul (Principal Investigator); 01-Jan-2018 - 31-Jan-2022

more projects

Address

Physics
John Anderson Building

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