Laser
Research

Lasers And Light Matter Interactions

The group studies the physics of the interaction of light with matter and the effects of high-power lasers on a variety of materials.

laser research devices

Research specialisms

Lasers, light matter interactions

Contacts

Prof Peter E Dyer (Professor Emeritus in Physics)

Dr Howard V Snelling (Lecturer in Physics)

The Challenge

The group studies the physics of the interaction of light with matter and the effects of high-power lasers on a variety of materials. We apply our understanding of the underlying mechanisms to solve problems related to scientific, industrial, and medical applications of lasers.

The Laser Group at the University of Hull has a long history and was founded circa 1968 not long after the birth of the laser itself. At that time, the emphasis was on the development of the laser as a source with a great many firsts achieved including the world record for the generation of the shortest laser wavelength. Laser manufacturing companies spun out of these activities and so began a sustained relationship with industrial partners. The activities of the group shifted to encompass laser applications whereby the applied physics expertise of the academics was focussed on understanding the interaction of light with materials.

The Approach

The facilities comprise of 7 dedicated laboratories housing a variety of laser systems including VUV (157nm) and UV (193nm, 248nm, 308nm) excimer lasers, a short pulse vanadate laser (1064nm, 532nm and 355nm), tunable TEA (9-11μm) and RF- modulated CO2 lasers, and a dye system for fast photography. For ultrashort interaction studies these laser systems are complemented by two femto second lasers that together encompass a parameter range of up 1mJ per pulse and 120W average power. Ultra high-resolution translation stages and an extensive range of measurement and analytical equipment compliment these optical sources.

Astrophysics

Department of Physics and Mathematics

Our research is at the frontier of physics and mathematics; stretching across the breadth of topics that are embedded in the department's activity.

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