Ultrafast Optical Science

We explore the frontiers of ultrafast and high-intensity laser science, using light pulses lasting just femtoseconds (10^-15 s) or even attoseconds (10^-18 s; a billionth of a billionth of a second). Attosecond science, recognised with the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics, has opened entirely new ways of exploring the microscopic world. These exciting new tools allow us to capture electron motion on its natural timescale and to drive matter into extreme states resembling those inside stars and fusion experiments. By creating and probing matter under such conditions, we uncover the fundamental rules that govern nature at its fastest and most energetic.

Our work spans the development of powerful new laser technologies, the invention of novel computational methods, and pioneering experiments at international X-ray free electron laser facilities. We generate and characterise some of the shortest bursts of light ever made, push to the very highest optical intensities achievable in the laboratory, and use these capabilities to study quantum entanglement, ultrafast electron dynamics, and plasma physics. Applications range from clean energy to advanced imaging, molecular reconstruction, and next-generation optical communication technologies.

Our vision is to harness some of the world’s most intense and shortest light pulses to reveal and control the fastest processes in nature. By doing so, we aim not only to deepen understanding of the quantum world but also to enable transformative technologies, from future energy sources to breakthrough diagnostics.

Principal Investigators and Fellowship Holders