UK Accelerator Institutes Seminar Series Spring 2026 (Session 16)

14 May 2026, 16:00 → 18 Jun 2026, 18:00 Europe/London

Adam Noble (University of Strathclyde & The Cockcroft Institute), Emmanuel Tsesmelis (CERN), Ian Bailey (Lancaster University / Cockcroft Institute of Accelerator Science and Technology), Lee Jones (ASTeC (STFC Daresbury Laboratory) & The Cockcroft Institute)

UK Accelerator Institutes Seminar Series

Further abstracts will be added in due course.  Seminar slides and recordings can be found in the timetable.

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Thursday 14 May

1 Observation of quantum effects on radiation reaction in strong fields

Radiation reaction describes the effective force experienced by an accelerated charge due to radiation emission. Quantum effects dominate charge dynamics and radiation production for charges accelerated by fields with strengths approaching the Schwinger field, E_sch = 1.3 × 10¹⁸ Vm^-1. Such fields exist in extreme astrophysical environments such as pulsar magnetospheres and may be accessed by high-power laser systems. Classical radiation reaction theories do not limit the frequency of radiation emitted by accelerating charges and omit stochastic effects inherent in photon emission, thus demanding a quantum treatment. Such models are of fundamental importance, providing insight into the effect of the electron self-force on its dynamics in electromagnetic fields. The difficulty of accessing conditions where quantum effects dominate inhibited previous efforts to observe quantum radiation reaction in charged particle dynamics with high significance.

We report the first direct, high significance (> 5σ) observation of strong-field radiation reaction on charged particles. Using a Bayesian analysis framework, we obtain strong evidence favouring two quantum radiation reaction models, which perform equivalently, over a classical model.

Speaker: Eva Los (University of Oxford)

Cockcroft_2026_RR2021.pdf

Cockcroft_2026_RR2021.pptx

Thursday 28 May

2 Advanced imaging techniques with laboratory and laser driven x-ray sources

Synchrotron facilities are the gold standard for x-ray imaging. However, the high demand for easily accessible, low-cost sources has driven the widespread use of standard laboratory x-ray sources, based on solid rotating anode, nowadays used in industries, airports, as well as hospitals and universities.

In between the synchrotron and the standard laboratory sources, there is a new generation of x-ray sources promising compactness and high quality (coherence) x-ray beam: this includes sources based on liquid metal anode, on inverse Compton scattering, and driven by high power lasers.

Here we present the most advanced x-ray imaging methods that aim to achieve synchrotron-like image quality using standard and new x-ray sources. We review recent results, including both non-interferometric and interferometric approaches, and discuss the future possibility of pushing the limits of temporal and spatial resolution.

Speaker: Silvia Cipiccia (UCL)

CipicciaDaresbury2026_V2.pdf

CipicciaDaresbury2026_V2.pptx

Cipiccia_Daresbury.mp4

Thursday 11 June

3 The LhARA Project

LhARA is multidisciplinary & international collaboration that together are developing a proposed research facility that seeks to exploit laser-driven ions in a hybrid acceleration scheme that will deliver a systematic radiation biology programme and will lay the technological foundations for the transformation of proton and ion beam therapy.

The LhARA accelerator uses the target normal sheath acceleration mechanism to generate short, intense bunches of protons at a nominal energy of 15 MeV. These beams will be captured and focused by a series of Gabor plasma lenses, and subsequently accelerated up to 127 MeV in a fixed-field alternating gradient (FFA) accelerator. The accelerator will serve three automated end stations, each capable of highly flexible beam delivery schemes, enabling scientists to understand how the properties of proton and ion beam play a role in determining biological outcomes during particle beam therapy.

LhARA is in an R&D phase of activity in which we are developing several accelerator technologies to support our initiative, as well as conducting radiobiology experiments in the Proof-of-Principle for LhARA and Radiobiology (PoPLaR) programme that is studying the effects of laser-driven ions on biological tissue samples. In this seminar, an overview of LhARA will be presented, including the LhARA initiative, the LhARA accelerator, its novel technologies, the expected performance, and an overview of the PoPLaR experiments.

Speaker: William Shields (RHUL)

Thursday 18 June

4 The Electron Ion Collider Project: Status, Challenges, and Opportunities

The Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) is a next-generation, U.S. accelerator facility designed to collide electrons with protons and nuclei, enabling precision studies of the quark–gluon structure of matter. Beyond its scientific mission, the EIC represents a major advance in accelerator design, integrating innovative solutions for high luminosity, crab cavities and cooling technologies, and complex interaction region constraints.

This seminar will focus on the accelerator aspects of the project, presenting the current design, status, and key technical challenges. Emphasis will be placed on the EIC as a unique opportunity for the international accelerator community to contribute to cutting-edge developments and to engage in next-generation collider design. In this broader perspective, the EIC serves as a crucial stepping stone toward future facilities, helping to shape technologies, expertise, and collaborations for the next era of high-energy accelerators.

Speaker: Dr Tatiana Pieloni (EPFL)