Publications
You can also find my articles on my Google Scholar profile.
[50]
Nature Communications
Summary: Demonstrates that a plasma wakefield accelerator can act as a dual transformer to convert an input electron beam into a new one with much higher energy and brightness.
2025
[49]
Physical Review Letters
Summary: Discovery of a new mechanism for cavity-free lasing in atmospheric air through third-harmonic photon mediated resonant energy transfer from nitrogen to argon, enabling bidirectional two-color cascaded superfluorescent lasing.
2024
[48]
Physics of Plasmas
Summary: Experimental and simulation study demonstrating coexistence of Weibel instability-induced magnetic fields and linear plasma wakes in laser-ionized plasmas, with implications for multi-bunch acceleration schemes.
2024
[47]
Physical Review Accelerators and Beams
Summary: Experimental progress at FACET-II toward demonstrating high-gradient plasma wakefield acceleration with simultaneous high energy transfer efficiency and beam quality preservation, including advanced diagnostics and initial beam-plasma interaction results.
2024
[46]
Nature Communications
Summary: Demonstration of laser-driven plasma acceleration using a long-wave-infrared CO2 laser, achieving relativistic electron acceleration with sub-TW power and observing transition from self-modulation to bubble-regime acceleration.
2024
[45]
Communications Physics
Summary: Demonstrates strongly-coupled stimulated Brillouin scattering in plasmas as a promising amplification technique for vortex and vector laser pulses with up to 65% energy transfer efficiency, enabling all-optical polarization control and novel angular momentum couplings for plasma-based optical devices.
2024
[44]
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Summary: This paper demonstrates efficient wakefield excitation in meter-scale beam-ionized hydrogen plasmas at FACET-II.
2024
[43]
Journal of Plasma Physics
Summary: Experimental study documenting correlations between betatron X-ray signals, visible plasma light, and drive beam energy loss in plasma wakefield acceleration, demonstrating non-invasive diagnostics for energy transfer monitoring.
2024
[42]
Reviews of Modern Plasma Physics
Summary: Comprehensive review of self-organization in strong-field photoionized, non-equilibrium plasmas through kinetic instabilities.
Impact: The electrostatic waves so produced are measured using a collective light (Thomson) scattering technique with femtosecond resolution as the kinetic instabilities aided by collisions eventually thermalize the plasma electrons. In addition, we describe a novel experimental technique that has made it possible to map the temporal evolution of the wavenumber spectrum of the thermal Weibel instability with picosecond resolution, which leads to the formation of quasi-static coherent magnetic fields with different topologies in photoionized plasmas.
2023
[41]
Physical Review Accelerators and Beams
Summary: Presents theoretical model for transverse density gradients in underdense plasma lenses based on 3D particle-in-cell simulations, enabling analytical study of beam dynamics and estimation of witness electron bunch deflection for density uniformity tolerance studies in plasma accelerators.
2023
[40]
Physical Review Research
Summary: Demonstrates efficient generation of multimegagauss magnetic and tunable optical vortices through interaction of relativistic ionization fronts with Laguerre-Gaussian laser pulses, achieving up to 90% conversion efficiency and controllable topological charges via plasma density and orbital angular momentum manipulation.
2023
[39]
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Summary: First experimental mapping of magnetic fields generated by thermal Weibel instability in laser-ionized plasmas.
2022
[38]
Physical Review Research
Summary: Demonstrates generation of highly spin-polarized electron beams using single-species ytterbium plasma photocathodes, achieving 56% net spin polarization and 15 GeV acceleration in 41 cm through combined time-dependent Schrödinger equation and particle-in-cell simulations.
2022
[37]
Optics Express
Summary: Develops a highly sensitive cross-polarized common-path temporal interferometer with balanced detection achieving ~0.6 mrad sensitivity for plasma density measurements, enabling comprehensive verification of strong-field ionization models across multiple regimes and gas types.
2022
[36]
Physics of Plasmas
Summary: Presents comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of electron Weibel instability in optical-field ionized plasmas using time-resolved measurements with external electron probe bunches, extending previous work to both non-relativistic and quasi-relativistic regimes.
2022
[35]
🏆 PPCF Outstanding Paper Prize 2025 - Highly Commended
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Summary: Novel technique using ionization-induced plasma gratings for absolute ionization degree measurements in strong-field physics.
Applications: In this paper, we demonstrate the usefulness of this concept by showing two applications: ionization degree measurement of strong-field ionization of atoms and molecules and characterization of extremely low-density gas jets. The former application is of particular interest for ionization physics studies in dense gases where the collision of the ionized electron with neighboring neutrals may become important-sometimes referred to as many-body ionization; and the latter is useful for plasma-based acceleration that requires extremely low-density plasmas.
2021
[34]
Nature Physics
Summary: Demonstrates external injection from a conventional linear accelerator into a laser wakefield accelerator with nearly 100% coupling efficiency and subsequent acceleration without charge loss, representing a crucial step toward hybrid conventional-plasma-based accelerators.
Impact: This work achieved a revolutionary breakthrough by demonstrating nearly 100% coupling efficiency between conventional and plasma-based accelerators for the first time, overcoming a major technical barrier that had limited previous attempts to less than a few percent efficiency. The successful external injection with minimal charge loss represents a pivotal advance toward practical hybrid accelerator systems for next-generation light sources and high-energy physics applications.
2021
[33]
Physical Review Letters
Summary: Demonstrates that high-current ultrarelativistic electron beams interacting with multiple submicrometer-thick conducting foils undergo strong self-focusing with efficient gamma-ray synchrotron emission, achieving femtosecond collimated beams with number density exceeding that of a solid.
2021
[32]
Physics of Plasmas
Summary: Demonstrates numerical and experimental techniques for generating ultra-short pulses covering 1-150 μm wavelength range using plasma wakes for frequency downshifting and relativistic ionization fronts for upshifting, enabling comprehensive coverage of the molecular fingerprint region.
2021
[31]
Physical Review Letters
Summary: Direct measurements of electron Weibel instability growth and saturation using femtosecond relativistic electron probes.
Impact: This work extends the FREP concept to using ps electron bunches from linear accelerators as a probe to capture not-so-transient magnetic fields. It provides direct measurements of Weibel instability dynamics, fundamental to understanding plasma physics in laboratory astrophysics contexts.
2020
[30]
Communications Physics
Summary: Verifies conservation of total angular momentum in photons through experimental measurement of helical phase in second harmonic radiation from underdense plasma, demonstrating conversion between spin and orbital angular momentum using Laguerre-Gaussian beams.
2020
[29]
Nature Communications
Summary: Demonstrates experimental generation of high-power (~100 GW) near single-cycle wavelength tunable (3–20 µm) infrared pulses using photon deceleration in laser-produced plasma wakes, enabling novel applications in relativistic nonlinear optics and molecular fingerprint spectroscopy.
2020
[28]
New Journal of Physics
Summary: Introduces a novel ultra-intense optical tweezer concept using two counter-propagating circularly polarized lasers of different frequencies to create controlled electron displacement and generate narrow-energy-spread ion beams from nano-foil targets with high efficiency.
2020
[27]
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Summary: Proposes using ultrashort relativistic electron beams to probe the spatiotemporal evolution of self-generated magnetic fields in thermal Weibel instability, demonstrating how laser polarization controls magnetic field topology in optical-field-ionized plasmas.
2020
[26]
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Summary: Demonstrates controlled generation of anisotropic electron velocity distributions in optical-field ionized helium plasmas through laser polarization control, enabling systematic study of plasma kinetic instabilities with Thomson scattering diagnostics.
2020
[25]
Physical Review Applied
Summary: Novel near-ideal dechirper concept using hollow channel plasma to reduce energy spread from few-percent to ≲0.1% without emittance growth, enabling applications to free-electron lasers and colliders through large-scale 3D PIC simulations.
2019
[24]
Physical Review Accelerators and Beams
Summary: Comprehensive 2D/3D PIC simulation study of down ramp injection for FACET-II, demonstrating ultra-low emittance beams (~0.03 μm) and investigating the effects of ramp profile fluctuations on beam quality and current profiles.
2019
[23]
Science Advances
Summary: Establishment of a laboratory framework for studying kinetic plasma instabilities using ultrafast optical field-ionized gases.
2019
[22]
Scientific Reports
Summary: First demonstration of high-resolution (5 μm) phase-contrast imaging using stable betatron X-ray source with <5% jitter in multiple-exposure mode, achieving biological imaging with modest 30-40 TW lasers for practical tabletop applications.
2019
[21]
Physical Review Letters
Summary: Demonstration of plasma wakefield dechirper achieving 10-fold reduction in electron beam energy spread from 1.28% to 0.13% FWHM, bringing plasma accelerator beam quality to levels needed for coherent light sources and colliders.
Impact: This breakthrough demonstrated the first plasma-based dechirper capable of achieving beam quality requirements for next-generation light sources and colliders, representing a crucial step toward practical applications of plasma accelerators in high-energy physics and photon science.
2019
[20]
Relativistic single-cycle tunable infrared pulses generated from a tailored plasma density structure
Nature Photonics
Summary: Breakthrough demonstration of tunable relativistically intense single-cycle infrared pulses (5-14 μm) generated from tailored plasma density structures with 1.7% conversion efficiency and locked carrier-envelope phase for strong-field physics applications.
Impact: This breakthrough work established a novel plasma-based method for generating relativistically intense, tunable single-cycle infrared pulses, opening new frontiers in strong-field physics and providing crucial radiation sources for attosecond science and molecular fingerprinting applications.
2018
[19]
Physical Review E
Summary: Extended one-dimensional two-fluid theory clarifying the physical mechanism of transverse instability in radiation pressure ion acceleration, demonstrating electron-ion coupling via ponderomotive force as the dominant instability source.
2018
[18]
Physics of Plasmas
Summary: Novel tri-stage acceleration mechanism for generating quasimonoenergetic proton beams from multi-species thick targets, achieving 200 MeV protons with narrow energy spread suitable for medical applications using 100s TW lasers.
2018
[17]
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Summary: Development and application of permanent magnetic quadrupole-based transverse phase space diagnostics for characterizing ionization injection electron beams in laser plasma acceleration with high precision.
2018
[16]
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Summary: Experimental demonstration of probing plasma wakefield structures using femtosecond relativistic electron bunches from laser wakefield accelerators, capturing wake evolution in density gradients and parallel wake structures.
2018
[15]
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Summary: Theoretical and simulation study revealing phase-locked double ring structures in ion phase space during radiation pressure acceleration, caused by ponderomotive trapping in moving standing waves from laser contrast effects.
2018
[14]
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Summary: Systematic analysis of permanent magnetic quadrupole-based emittance measurement accuracy and reliability for sub-100 nm rad emittance beams from plasma accelerators, identifying key error sources and alignment requirements.
2018
[13]
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Summary: Theoretical and simulation study of plasma wakefield evolution in non-uniform density profiles.
2018
[12]
🏆 Editors's Suggestion
Physical Review Letters
Summary: First demonstration of femtosecond relativistic electron microscopy for visualizing plasma wakefields.
Impact: This work pioneered femtosecond relativistic electron probe (first experimental demonstration), opening new avenues for plasma wakefield visualization.
Recognition: This paper was selected as an “Editors’ Suggestion” and triggered extensive follow-up research at international institutes.
2017
[11]
Physical Review Letters
Summary: Theoretical model and 2D PIC simulations revealing the physical mechanism behind transverse instability in radiation pressure ion acceleration, analogous to oscillating two-stream instability in ICF research.
2016
[10]
Physical Review Letters
Summary: Theoretical analysis and 3D simulations revealing nanoscale electron bunching in ionization injection due to phase-dependent tunneling ionization and nonlinear trapping dynamics, enabling coherent transition radiation generation.
2016
[9]
Scientific Reports
Summary: Novel femtosecond electron probing method for visualizing relativistic plasma wakefields with unprecedented resolution.
Impact: This work pioneered femtosecond relativistic electron probe (concept and theoretical framework), opening new avenues for plasma wakefield visualization.
2016
[8]
Physical Review Accelerators and Beams
Summary: Development of optical deflecting cavity for sub-femtosecond resolution measurement of ultrashort electron bunches.
Impact: This work demonstrates a novel technique for characterizing ultrashort electron beams from plasma accelerators.
2016
[7]
Physical Review Letters
Summary: Novel approach using longitudinally tailored plasma density profiles to achieve phase space matching between plasma accelerator stages and traditional accelerator components with negligible emittance growth.
2016
[6]
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Summary: Improved ionization injection scheme using tightly focused laser in mismatched plasma channel achieving ultrashort electron bunches with narrow energy spread through shortened injection distance and envelope oscillation effects.
2016
[5]
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Summary: Novel scheme for generating high-quality electron bunches using counter-propagating laser pulse for ionization injection in beam-driven plasma wake with tunable injection distance and synchronized electron release.
2016
[4]
Chinese Physics C
Summary: Demonstration of high-quality monoenergetic electron beam generation using a compact 5 TW 60 fs laser system at Tsinghua University, achieving 10-40 MeV beams with excellent beam quality.
2015
[3]
Physical Review Special Topics - Accelerators and Beams
Summary: Novel two-color laser scheme separating wakefield excitation from injection process enables generation of ultralow emittance electron beams with more than one order of magnitude improvement.
2014
[2]
Physical Review Letters
Summary: Theoretical and simulation study revealing the complex phase-space evolution of electron beams in ionization injection, providing analytical framework for achieving ultralow emittance beams.
2014
[1]
Physical Review Letters
Summary: Novel ionization injection scheme using transverse colliding lasers produces ultra-bright electron beams with unprecedented low emittance in plasma wakefield accelerators.
2013