Dr B. King
Profiles

Dr B. King

Associate Professor of Theoretical Physics

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics (Faculty of Science and Engineering)

Biography

Biography

Associate Professor of Theoretical Physics

Final-year Tutor for Maths and Stats BSc Programmes

My research studies how charged particles and light behave in intense electromagnetic fields such as one would find in the most intense laser pulses or in the very strong fields of magnetised neutron stars. This research area is sometimes called `nonlinear' or `strong-field' QED (quantum electrodynamics) and the main tool to study it is quantum field theory.

My lecturing is centred around applied mathematics and theoretical physics. I teach courses to undergraduate mathematicians on classical mechanics, ordinary differential equations (ODEs), vector calculus and computational methods. Some of my lecturing is on introductory mathematics for engineering students. 

Qualifications

  • Doktor der Naturwissenschaften (Dr. rer. nat.)
  • Universität Heidelberg (2010) 
  • Master in Science: Physics with Theoretical Physics
  • Imperial College London (2006)

Roles on external bodies

  • Member of the Collaboration board of the LUXE experiment
  • Member of the Steering board of the LUXE experiment
  • Head of the theory working group of the LUXE experiment

Teaching

Teaching

Teaching interests

MATH3606 - Classical and Quantum Mechanics (Module Leader)

This module introduces advanced classical mechanics and the key ideas of quantum mechanics to students with a mathematics background. An overarching theme will be the key role of symmetry, both for classical motion and quantum behaviour.

MATH3628 - Maths Project (Supervisor)


A year-long, 40-credit project module, in which students work one-to-one with a member of staff to gain an in-depth understanding in a mathematical area of their interest. Previous projects supervised include: i) Schwarzschild Black Holes; ii) Henon-Heiles nonlinear dynamics and chaos; iii) Vacuum energy and the Casimir Effect in (1+1)D; iv) Dynamical symmetries in Kepler orbits and the Hydrogen atom; v) Criticality in percolation and self-organisation in 1D sandpiles

MATH2604 - Mathematical Methods and Applications (Module Leader)

Vector calculus is extended to higher dimensions and applied to a range of important scientific problems primarily from classical mechanics and cosmology. Differential and integral calculus is applied to the solution of differential equations and the orthogonal functions bases are constructed. The crucial mathematical concepts of integral transforms (Fourier and Laplace) and Fourier series are introduced.

MATH190/ENGR104 - Engineering Mathematics (Module Leader) (2021-)

This course is designed to provide you with a number of fundamental mathematical skills and techniques which are essential for the analysis of engineering problems. The topics covered are: basic maths techniques; complex variables; differentiation; matrices and determinants; integration; vector theory; ODEs with engineering applications.

MATH2603 - Ordinary Differential Equations (Lecturer) (2019-2020)

MATH257 - Computer Aided Mathematics (Module Leader) (2014-2018)

Students will be taught advanced mathematical techniques and their application using the MATLAB computer software package to solve engineering mathematics problems. The module will also introduce the students to the theoretical fundamentals of finite element analysis.

Staff serving as external examiners

PhD Examinations

- 10/12/2021, External Examiner, Christian Flohr Nielsen, Aarhus University, Denmark

"Elementary Particles and their Interaction with Strong Electromagnetic Fields"

- 07/05/2020, External Examiner, Ramy Aboushelbaya, University of Oxford

"Orbital Angular Momentum in High-Intensity Laser Interactions"

- 20/04/2019, Examiner, Benjamin Wettervik, Chalmers University of Technology

"Modelling of laser plasma interaction with applications to particle acceleration
and radiation generation"

- 19/09/2016, Zweitgutachter, Patrick Boehl, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

"Vacuum Harmonic Generation in Slowly Varying
Electromagnetic Backgrounds"



Research

Research

Research interests

  • Phenomenology of nonlinear QED in strong fields
  • Approximation frameworks for nonlinear QED effects
  • Numerical calculation of nonlinear QED spectra
  • New physics in intense electromagnetic fields
When electromagnetic fields become very strong, calculations become challenging because the standard method of using perturbation theory can no longer be used and other methods must be employed. However, it also means that new and interesting phenomena can emerge, such as light-by-light scattering, which is forbidden classically. It is also thought that studying strong-field processes can help solve difficult outstanding problems in QCD (Quantum Chromodynamics) and Cosmology. The next generation of forthcoming laser facilities and proposed experiments colliding conventionally accelerated electron beams with intense laser pulses should finally be able to probe nonlinear QED processes in strong fields.

Research Grants

2018-2020 Joint-PI: EPSRC Standard Grant, Grant No: EP/S010319/1    £450,000
2016-2018 PI: EPSRC First Grant Scheme, Grant No: EP/P005217/1       £125,000
2016      PI: Royal Society International Exchange Scheme 2015/R         £2,000

Awards

2021-2022  Guest Research Fellowship of Quantum Universe Excellence Cluster at University of Hamburg and DESY
2017       Editor-in-Chief Choice Award 2016 (with Tom Heinzl) for High Power Laser Science and Engineering 4, e5 (2016)
2013       Excellence in Peer Review, Annals of Physics
2011       Otto Hahn Medal of the Max Planck Society
2010       Best presentation, GRC Multiphoton Processes


I am a member of the Centre for Mathematical Sciences

Publications

Publications

A list of my published research can be found at the following pages:

ArXiv
Google Scholar Citations
Inspire.

Personal

Personal

Reports & invited lectures

12/09/2022  "Nonlinear vacuum birefringence and photon-polarised nonlinear Breit-Wheeler", LUXE collaboration meeting (online)
12/09/2022  "LUXE Theory WP summary", LUXE collaboration meeting (online)
13/05/2022  "QED in intense background fields (3/3)", DESY, Germany
06/05/2022  "QED in intense background fields (2/3)", DESY, Germany
29/04/2022  "QED in intense background fields (1/3)", DESY, Germany
28/03/2022  "LUXE executive summary and science case", DESY Physics Review Committee
25/01/2022  "LUXE executive summary", LUXE meeting (online)
14/01/2022  "Nonlinear Breit-Wheeler Pair Creation in Laser pulses", QED theory group seminar, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany (online)
15/11/2021   "LUXE QED Theory Overview", LUXE Workshop (online)
13/09/2021  "Higher fidelity benchmarking of the nonlinear Compton and Breit-Wheeler processes in a laser pulse", ExHILP 2021, Jena (online)
22/07/2021  "Pulse Envelope Interference Effects in the Nonlinear Compton and Breit-Wheeler Processes", LPHYS'21 (online)
27/04/2021  "Strong-field QED at LUXE", DESY Physics Review Committee
08/02/2021  "Strong-Field QED aims at the LUXE experiment", UK High Power Laser Christmas Meeting (online)
19/01/2021   "The locally monochromatic approximation and the LUXE experiment", The Schwinger Effect and Strong-Field Physics Workshop, YITP, Kyoto Japan (online)
06/11/2020    "High Intensity QED and LUXE", Classical and Quantum Physics in Extreme Light Fields, international seminar dedicated to Nikolay Narozhny’s 80th birthday, Moscow (online)
04/11/2020    "Laser polarisation and the Breit-Wheeler process", LUXE meeting
13/05/2020    "From QED to rates @ LUXE", LUXE Workshop 2020
03/09/2019   "Improved approximations for nonlinear Breit-Wheeler and nonlinear Compton scattering at intermediate intensities", ExHILP 2019, Stanford, US
16/07/2019   "The High Intensity Frontier of QED", Graduate School CAEP, Beijing, China
11/07/2019   "Decay of Massive Axion-Like-Particles in Quasi-Static Backgrounds", LPHYS' 19, Gyeongju, South Korea
30/04/2019  "Vacuum birefringence with x-rays", Vacuum Fluctuations at Nanoscale and Gravitation: theory and experiments, Sardinia, Italy
16/04/2019  "Massive pseudoscalar production at LUXE",    DESY, Germany
09/04/2019  "Locally Constant Field Approximation for High-Intensity QED", HI-Jena, Jena, Germany
22/08/2018  "Massive scalar and pseudoscalar production in electron-laser collisions", SQED Workshop, DESY, Germany
17/07/2018  "Photon-photon scattering in the collision of three laser pulses"   LPHYS '18, Nottingham, UK
17/07/2018  "Trident process in a constant crossed field"   LPHYS '18, Nottingham, UK
09/07/2018  "QED Overview (HIBEF Workshop)"   HZDR, Dresden, Germany
11/04/2018  "Measuring vacuum polarisation using high power lasers"   HPLSE2018, Suzhou, China
29/11/2017  "Laser-based QED in intense backgrounds: ethos and recent developments"   Imperial College London, UK
08/09/2017  "Vacuum birefringence in high-energy laser-electron collisions",  ExHILP 2017, Lisbon, Portugal
15/07/2017  "The Intensity Frontier and High Power Lasers",   NUDT, Changsha, China
12/07/2017  "The Intensity Frontier and High Power Lasers",   SIOM, Shanghai, China
10/07/2017  "Strong-field QED in Intense lasers (3 lectures)",   NUDT, HEDP Summer School, Changsha, China
20/04/2017  "Vacuum birefringence in high-energy laser-electron collisions",   LNPC '17, Yokohama, Japan
21/12/2016  "Vacuum birefringence in high-energy laser-electron collisions",   UK High Power Laser Christmas Meeting, Abingdon, UK
16/11/2016  "Strong-Field QED in High-Power Lasers",   Helmholtz Institute, Jena, Germany
13/07/2016  "Beyond Volkov: Solving the Second-Order Klein-Gordon Equation",   LPHYS' 16, Yerevan, Armenia
30/05/2016  "Strong laser particle physics",   CARDC (Chinese Aerodynamic Research and Development Center), Mianyang, China
16/12/2015  "Shock wave and high harmonic generationin the vacuum plasma",   UK High Power Laser Christmas Meeting, Abingdon, UK
25/11/2015  "Laser-based strong-field QED (under construction)",   Plasma Seminar, Imperial College London, UK
14/09/2015  "High intensity lasers & strong-field QED",   Oxcheds seminar, AWE, UK
24/08/2015  "Vacuum high-harmonic generation in the shock regime and photon-photon scattering dynamics",   LPHYS' 15, Shanghai, China
17/08/2015  "High intensity lasers & strong-field QED",   CAEP, Mianyang, China
22/07/2015  "Vacuum high harmonic generation in the shock regime",   EXHILP 15, Heidelberg, Germany
08/05/2015  "What's so anomalous about anomalous x-ray pulsars?",   Plymouth Astronomical Society, Plymouth
27/04/2015  "Strong-field QED & high intensity lasers",   Atomic and Laser Physics Seminar, University of Oxford, UK
22/04/2015  "Vacuum high harmonic generation in the shock regime",   Theoretical Physics Seminar, Plymouth University, UK
15/04/2015  "Vacuum high harmonic generation in the shock regime",   Chalmers, Gothenburg, Sweden

Conferences organised

2020   LUXE Theory Workshop (online)