Summary
I am a theoretical plasma physicist working for 20 years in the areas of Laser-Plasma Interaction (LPI), Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High Energy Density Physics (HEDP). I have expertise in development of multi-dimensional kinetic and fluid simulation codes and using them – together with theoretical analysis – to gain new understanding of fundamental phenomena underpinning the interaction of high-power (1012 – 1015 W), short duration (1 ps – 10 ns) laser beams with matter. My key specialities include kinetic modelling of energy & particle transport and advanced magnetic-field dynamics.
Recently, I started working in Magnetic Confinement Fusion (MCF). I took a teaching sabbatical at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (Oxfordshire) in 2016/17 and initiated projects concerning the tokamak scrape-off layer (SOL).
Selected Invited Talks
- Tutorial Talk, IOP Computational Plasma Physics Conference – York (Nov. 2017)
"Introduction to! Vlasov-Fokker-Planck Methods" - International Conference on Numerical Simulation of Plasmas – Leuven, Belgium (Sept. 2017)
"2D VFP simulations of ICF-relevant ablation under non-uniform laser illumination including magnetized transport effects" - Tutorial Talk, CLF High-Power Laser Users Meeting – Abingdon, UK (Dec. 2016)
"Non-Local Transport: A Primer" - UK Fusion Theory Meeting – CCFE, UK (May 2016)
"Overview of non-local electron transport modelling and research for laser-plasmas at Imperial" - Atomic & Laser Physics Dept. Colloquium – Oxford (May 2015)
"Magnetised transport phenomena in high energy-density laser-plasmas" - EPS, Plasma Physics Conference – Espoo, Finland (July 2013)
"Simulations of fast electron propagation in IFE including non-local and magnetized transport effects in the background plasma" - Plasma Physics group at CEA/DAM Ile de France – Paris, France (Oct. 2009)
"Recent theoretical research on electron transport in nanosecond laser-plasmas with B-fields" - IOP, Plasma Physics Group Conference – Dublin (Apr. 2007)
"Kinetic Simulations of Electron Transport in High-Power Laser-Plasma Interactions" - ORNL "Multiscale Sim. Workshop" – Oak Ridge (Apr. 2005)
"Simulations of Laser-Plasmas and Z-pinches at Imperial"
Selected Teaching
UG Lecture Courses
- Differential Equations (2019)
- Computational Physics (2013–16)
- Plasma Physics (2009–14)
- Basic Mechanics, Vibrations & Waves (2006–2009)
PG Summer school lecturer
- Culham Summer School – CCFE, UK (2004–10)
Selected Publications
Journal Articles
Bell AR, Kingham RJ, Watkins H, et al., 2020, Instability in a magnetised collisional plasma driven by a heat flow or a current, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, Vol:62, ISSN:0741-3335
Shi Y, Vieira J, Trines RMGM, et al., 2018, Magnetic field generation in plasma waves driven by copropagating intense twisted lasers, Physical Review Letters, Vol:121, ISSN:0031-9007
Watkins HC, Kingham RJ, 2018, Magnetised thermal self-focusing and filamentation of long-pulse lasers in plasmas relevant to magnetised ICF experiments, Physics of Plasmas, Vol:25, ISSN:1070-664X
Hill D, Kingham RJ, 2018, Enhancement of pressure perturbations in ablation due to kinetic magnetized transport effects under direct-drive inertial confinement fusion relevant conditions, Physical Review E, Vol:98, ISSN:1539-3755
Brodrick JP, Sherlock M, Farmer WA, et al., 2018, Incorporating kinetic effects on Nernst advection in inertial fusion simulations, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, Vol:60, ISSN:0741-3335
Joglekar AS, Ridgers CP, Kingham RJ, et al., 2016, Kinetic modeling of Nernst effect in magnetized hohlraums, Physical Review E, Vol:93, ISSN:1539-3755
Robinson APL, Strozzi DJ, Davies JR, et al., 2014, Theory of fast electron transport for fast ignition, Nuclear Fusion, Vol:54, ISSN:1741-4326
Williams BER, Kingham RJ, Bissell JJ, 2013, Heat flux effects on magnetic field dynamics in solid density plasmas traversed by relativistic electron beams, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, Vol:55, ISSN:0741-3335
Thomas AGR, Tzoufras M, Robinson APL, et al., 2012, A review of Vlasov-Fokker-Planck numerical modeling of inertial confinement fusion plasma, Journal of Computational Physics, Vol:231, ISSN:0021-9991, Pages:1051-1079
Bissell JJ, Ridgers CP, Kingham RJ, 2010, Field Compressing Magnetothermal Instability in Laser Plasmas, Physical Review Letters, Vol:105, ISSN:0031-9007
Willingale L, Thomas AGR, Nilson PM, et al., 2010, Fast Advection of Magnetic Fields by Hot Electrons, Physical Review Letters, Vol:105, ISSN:0031-9007
Hornsby WA, Bell AR, Kingham RJ, et al., 2010, A code to solve the Vlasov-Fokker-Planck equation applied to particle transport in magnetic turbulence, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, Vol:52, ISSN:0741-3335
Thomas AGR, Kingham RJ, Ridgers CP, 2009, Rapid self-magnetization of laser speckles in plasmas by nonlinear anisotropic instability, New Journal of Physics, Vol:11, ISSN:1367-2630
Ridgers CP, Thomas AGR, Kingham RJ, et al., 2008, Transport in the presence of inverse bremsstrahlung heating and magnetic fields, Physics of Plasmas, Vol:15, ISSN:1070-664X
Ridgers CP, Kingham RJ, Thomas AGR, 2008, Magnetic cavitation and the reemergence of nonlocal transport in laser plasmas, Physical Review Letters, Vol:100, ISSN:0031-9007
Nilson PM, Willingale L, Kaluza MC, et al., 2006, Magnetic reconnection and plasma dynamics in two-beam laser-solid interactions, Physical Review Letters, Vol:97
Bell AR, Robinson APL, Sherlock M, et al., 2006, Fast electron transport in laser-produced plasmas and the KALOS code for solution of the Vlasov-Fokker-Planck equation, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, Vol:48, ISSN:0741-3335, Pages:R37-R57
Robinson APL, Bell AR, Kingham RJ, 2006, Effect of target composition on proton energy spectra in ultraintense laser-solid interactions, Physical Review Letters, Vol:96, ISSN:0031-9007
Kingham RJ, Bell AR, 2004, An implicit Vlasov-Fokker-Planck code to model non-local electron transport in 2-D with magnetic fields, Journal of Computational Physics, Vol:194, ISSN:0021-9991, Pages:1-34
Bell AR, Kingham RJ, 2003, Resistive collimation of electron beams in laser-produced plasmas, Physical Review Letters, Vol:91, ISSN:0031-9007
Kingham RJ, Bell AR, 2002, Nonlocal magnetic-field generation in plasmas without density gradients, Physical Review Letters, Vol:88, ISSN:0031-9007
Conference
Williams BER, Kingham RJ, 2013, Hybrid simulations of fast electron propagation including magnetized transport and non-local effects in the background plasma, 40th Conference of the European-Physical-Society on Plasma Physics, IOP PUBLISHING LTD, ISSN:0741-3335