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Extreme Light Laboratory

Dr. Donald Umstadter - Full CV

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Dr. Donald Umstadter

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Dr. Donald Umstadter - Full CV

Leland J & Dorothy H Olson Chair in Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics

Professor

Curriculum Vitae

Academic appointments:

Leland J. and Dorothy H. Olson Chair of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, Dept. of

Physics and Astronomy,

University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 1/05-present

Professor, Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Science Dept., University of Michigan,

9/04-12/04

Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Dept., University of Michigan,

9/04-12/04

Professor, Applied Physics Program, University of Michigan, 9/04-12/04

Associate Professor, Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Science Dept., University of

Michigan, 9/97-9/04

Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Dept., University of

Michigan, 9/97-9/04

Associate Research Scientist, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Dept.,

University of Michigan, 9/94-9/97

Adjunct Professor, Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Science Dept., University of

Michigan, 9/94-12/05

Adjunct Professor, Applied Physics Program, University of Michigan, 9/94-9/97

Assistant Research Scientist, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Dept.,

University of Michigan, 9/89-9/94

Postdoctoral Fellow, AT&T Bell Laboratories and University of Maryland, 9/87-9/89

Education:

Ph.D., (1987), M.S. (1983), B.S. (1981): Physics Department, University of California,

Los Angeles

Thesis advisors: J. Dawson (Physics Dept.) and C. Joshi (Electrical Engineering Dept.)

Thesis title: Nonlinear Behavior of Electron Plasma Waves Driven by Stimulated Raman

Backscattering

Honors and Awards:

Fellow, American Physical Society, 2004.

Monroe-Brown Foundation Research Excellence Award, College of Engineering, University of

Michigan, 2003.

2003 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Best Paper by the AIAA

Nuclear and Future Flight Technical Committee (jointly with advisee K. Flippo, and T.

Kammash).

Best Paper by a Graduate or Postdoctoral Student, 2002 International Workshop on the

Physics of Fast-Ignition Targets, awarded to advisee K. Flippo.

University of Michigan Research Scientist Outstanding Achievement Award, 1997

University of Michigan Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences Award

for Outstanding Achievement, 1998

University of Michigan College of Engineering Research Scientist Outstanding Achievement

Award, 1996

Who's Who in Science and Engineering

Research, Teaching and Scholarship:

Prof. Umstadter has taught over 500 students in the classroom, and supervised---in the

laboratory---4 students who have completed M.S. degrees, 13 students who have completed

PhD degrees, and 9 postdoctoral fellows. He was a co-founder of two National-Science-

Foundation-funded centers of excellence: (1) the Center for Ultrafast Optical Science

(CUOS), a Science and Technology Center, and (2) Frontiers in Coherent and Ultrafast

Optical Science (FOCUS), a Frontiers of Physics Center. He has also been awarded single-

investigator grants to do research in the area of fundamental physics from boththe

National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. He is currently building a laser

system at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, that will have a power rate of 1 PW-Hz,

which will be the highest in the U.S.

He and his research team are pioneering a new research field involving the nonlinear

optics of ultra-high intensity lasers interacting with plasmas, with applications in

advanced radiation sources and particle accelerators. This research includes experiment,

theory and numerical simulation in both basic and applied research. His research group was

the first to show experimentally how electrons behave when intense light fields accelerate

them to relativistic velocities. Their results on relativistic Thomson scattering has lead

to the development of novel compact short-wavelength coherent light source. They hold a

patent on a method to generate ultrashort pulse-duration x rays. They made the first

demonstration and characterization of the transverse geometrical emittance of an electron

beam accelerated by a relativistically self-guided laser wakefield. Most recently, they

also demonstrated laser acceleration of a naturally collimated beam of MeV ions. Although

the beam properties are comparable to those from conventional accelerators, the

acceleration gradient is one-hundred-thousand times higher, 10 GeV/cm.

They have co-authored 175 publications in a wide variety of conference proceedings and

journals, including 21 in the highest impact scientific periodicals: Nature, Science, or

Physical Review Letters. These papers have been cited in the literature a total of more

than 1,500 times. Prof. Umstadter is also an author on 9 invited review or tutorial

papers, 25 invited papers total, and 74 invited presentations, including a plenary review

paper on high-field science at the Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society

Division of Plasma Physics, and at a Global Science Forum on Compact Short-Pulse High-

Intensity Lasers, organized by the Organization for Economic and Cooperative Development

(OECD). One paper, on nonlinear Thomson scattering, was published as the cover story in

Nature. He co-wrote an article for the May, 2002 issue of Scientific American, entitled

"Extreme Light," which was later incorporated into a special edition of Scientific

American, "The Edge of Physics," May, 2003. He was also invited to write an article, Laser-

driven X-ray Sources, for the McGraw Hill 2003 Yearbook in Science and Technology. Prof.

Umstadter co-authored five U.S. patent applications, four of which have been issued, and

one is under review.

Contact information

University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Behlen Laboratory 257

Lincoln, NE 68588-0111

Phone: 402-***-****

***@********.***.***

Publications

To see a full list of recent refereed publications, other publications and proceedings,

patents, and media articles click here.

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