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Physics Centre for Fusion, Space and Astrophysics

Stuart Morris

Position: Post-doctoral Research Fellow

Supervisor: Tony Arber

Research Interests

I develop and run plasma physics simulations using the particle-in-cell code EPOCH. During my PhD, I focused on simulating the radiation produced in high intensity (>1020 Wcm-2) laser-solid interactions, which led me to write a new bremsstrahlung module for the EPOCH code, along with a new hybrid electron-transport mode. I also have an interest in QED plasma physics, and have experience using Geant4 for high energy physics.

While at Warwick, I have further developed the ionisation and collisions packages in EPOCH. I have written several new physics packages, including Kα emission, muon pair-production, and dielectric recombination to support various collaborations. I have also created a version of EPOCH which runs on a cylindrical grid.

Currently I'm working on a C++ re-write of EPOCH, to future-proof the code for next generation super-computers. I've also been working on large-scale PIC simulations of laser-plasma instabilities, to support inertial fusion energy research.

Previous positions

  • University of York (2017-2021): PhD, thesis: "High energy X-ray production in laser-solid interactions"
  • University of Manchester (2013-2017): MPhys, project: "3D dosimetry of proton therapy using liquid scintillator detectors"

Publications

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2218-0706

  • Rösch, T.F., Afshari, M., Balling, F., Doyle, L., Gerlach, S., Hartmann, J., Prasselsperger, A., Morris, S. and Schreiber, J. (2024). Transverse emittance growth of proton sources from laser-irradiated sub-μ m-thin planar targets. Physical Review E, 109(2), p.025201.
  • Chintalwad, S., Krishnamurthy, S., Morris, S., Ramakrishna, B. and Xinxin, W. (2022). Intense ү-Ray Bursts following the Interaction of Laser Pulse with Steep Density Gradients. Laser and Particle Beams, 2022, p.e14.
  • Morris, S., Goffrey, T., Bennett, K. and Arber, T. (2022). Improvements to collisional ionization models for particle-in-cell codes. Physics of Plasmas, 29(12).
  • Afshari, M., Morris, S., Geulig, L.D., Chitgar, Z.M., Gibbon, P., Thirolf, P.G. and Schreiber, J. (2022). The role of collisional ionization in heavy ion acceleration by high intensity laser pulses. Scientific Reports, 12(1), p.18260.
  • Morris, S., Robinson, A., & Ridgers, C. (2021). Highly efficient conversion of laser energy to hard x-rays in high-intensity laser–solid simulations. Physics of Plasmas, 28(10), 103304.
  • Trines, R. M., Robinson, A. P., Wilkinson, J. R., Kirk, J. N., Hills, D. S., Deas, R. M., Morris, S., Goffrey, T., Bennett, K., & Arber, T. D. (2021). Laser-assisted propagation of a relativistic electron bunch in air. Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 63, 084009.
  • Chintalwad, S., Krishnamurthy, S., Ramakrishna, B., Morris, S., & Ridgers, C. (2020). Investigation of QED Effects With Varying Z in Thin Foil Targets. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, 49(2), 573-577.

Stuart Morris profile photo

Email: stuart dot morris at warwick dot ac dot uk

Office: PS125, Physical Sciences

Work address:

Department of Physics,

University of Warwick,

Coventry,

CV4 7AL