Antici Patrizio

Biography

My current research plans are focused on the setup and improvement of laser-driven proton and electron beamlines for several applications. Each project is targeting a different field of application, ranging from nanoscience and nanotechnology, to biomedicine, femtochemistry and material science. Projects will be performed in collaboration with other leading groups in the domain. In particular I concentrate on the following four main research activities: 1 Ultra-brilliant and ultra-short table-top proton beamlines and applications: research on critical components of a laser-driven proton beamline to achieve controllable proton beams with sub-ps bunch duration and kA current, allowing unprecedented applications. Research includes targets (cryogenic target, tape target, array target, nanostructured target), beam handling and transport (energy selector, focusing devices), diagnostics (high-repetition rate spectrometers, real-time measurements). 1a Sub-nanometer precision growth of nanocrystals: The possibility of obtaining routinely nanocrystals with controlled shape, dimensions and crystallinity is a grand industrial challenge that is considered strategically important for manifold applications, e.g. in electronics or medicine. The irradiation of a bulk target by high energetic particles (in particular protons) can generate the temperature and pressure conditions required to grow crystalline structures, while the short pulse duration limits the nucleation time to the range of ps-ns, ensuring the stop of the nucleation at crystallinity phase without aggregation of amorphous structures. I investigate the use of laser-generated protons to grow and obtain nanostructured surfaces and colloidal solutions where the constituent nanomaterials are nanocrystals with well defined shape, dimensions and crystallinity in the nm rage. 1b Nanosecond resolved neutron spectroscopy of biological molecules: I investigate the use of tailored ultra-short high-flux laser-generated proton bunches to generate, over secondary reaction, a high-energy, high-flux, short pulse neutron burst. These neutrons can be used for probing molecules with at least three orders of magnitude higher temporal resolution respect the current analysis methods. This ensures a much precise knowledge of molecular dynamics and, hence, of many biological systems, with enormous and incalculable advantages in many fields such as pharmacology, medicine, agriculture, botanic and zoology. 1c Material stress tests for space applications: using the high and fast energy of laser-generated protons we can reproduce high-temperatures and pressures, similar as those obtained when going into the space of in fusion

Research Interest

My current research plans are focused on the setup and improvement of laser-driven proton and electron beamlines for several applications. Each project is targeting a different field of application, ranging from nanoscience and nanotechnology, to biomedicine, femtochemistry and material science. Projects will be performed in collaboration with other leading groups in the domain. In particular I concentrate on the following four main research activities: