Andreas Seidel

• B.Sc. in Physics at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
• M.Sc. in Physics at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
• Ph.D. in Physics at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany

Andreas Seidel specializes in the fields of optics, laser physics, and plasma dynamics. His academic background is rooted in high-power laser systems and particle acceleration, providing him with a profound understanding of complex physical experimental setups and computational modeling.

During his physics studies, Andreas focused on the cutting-edge field of laser-driven particle acceleration. For his Bachelor’s thesis, he contributed to the development of the Polaris laser system in Jena by successfully setting up a Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA) stage, including the alignment of the stretcher, amplifier, and compressor modules.

He deepened his expertise during his Master’s research on laser-driven ion acceleration. Utilizing the Target Normal Sheath Acceleration (TNSA) mechanism, he investigated the efficacy of novel target materials. By applying a specialized carbon nanotube coating to diamond-like carbon (DLC) targets, he increased the energy of accelerated ions by more than a factor of two.

For his doctoral research, Andreas worked with the high-power JETI200 laser system at Jena to produce and characterize relativistic electron bunches. He utilized Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) to focus high-power laser pulses onto gas targets, generating plasma fields strong enough to accelerate electrons to GeV energies. His work was highly interdisciplinary, combining the design of experimental setups with advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling of gas flows and Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations to replicate electron-laser interactions. Additionally, he developed a method for reconstructing electron bunch lengths using passive plasma lensing.