Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Dr. Amina Hussein’s research team at the University of Alberta is applying cutting-edge laser-based technologies to develop a novel suite of diagnostics for complex materials, with applications in additive manufacturing, land reclamation and precision agriculture. Hussein's team uses Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA) laser pulses, the Nobel Prize winning technology behind high-power, femtosecond laser systems, to develop new diagnostic tools. Using these high-power laser systems, electrons can be propelled to high energies over a few centimetres of plasma, shrinking kilometre-scale particle accelerators to the table-top scale, and making them more accessible and affordable. As a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair team, Hussein's team will lead advancements at the next frontier of laser-driven particle acceleration using high repetition rate, kilohertz (kHz) laser systems, supporting rapid data acquisition for improved statistics and the implementation of Artificial Intelligence techniques for "smart" optimization of laser-matter interactions and high-stability sources. Using kHz CPA lasers, Hussein and her team are building the first smart microbeamline of electron and X-ray bursts in Canada, providing a highly accessible source for high-resolution studies of advanced materials. In particular, her team is developing a laser-driven X-ray source as the first compact system for in-situ probing of metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes. Dynamic probing of the AM processes will support the generation of robust products and novel materials for safety-critical components in energy, health, and industrial manufacturing sectors. This work has the potential to position Canada as a leader in diagnostics of AM materials. Hussein’s team is also developing compact probes for environmental applications using high-speed and waste-free laser-based spectroscopic techniques. This includes the first portable system for soil analysis, as a real-time alternative to traditional lab-based techniques. High-repetition rate lasers will be used to establish high-sensitivity diagnostics for measuring toxic contaminants in food products and assessing organic and inorganic carbon content in soils. The realization of a high-sensitivity device requiring little to no sample preparation can have transformative impacts on agricultural, land reclamation and carbon sequestration practices, addressing growing food insecurity and supporting Indigenous communities and climate action.