Girum Abebe Beyene, Ph.D.

My experiences acquired during my MSc and PhD (both of which were acquired via Joint European Erasmus Mundus Scholarships) include experimental and modeling of laser-plasma dynamics, with profound knowledge and experience ranging from low-temperature space plasma to burning fusion plasma, fast imaging, and spectroscopic characterization. My research at the research center Jülich, Germany involved Chemical Vapor Deposition and characterization of hydrocarbon-based diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films and subsequently laser irradiation (ablation/desorption) then analyzing the laser-plasma exposed surface morphology using surface profilometer, AFM, light microscopy, Ellipsometer, and the laser produced species using quadruple mass spectrometry (QMS), relevant for fusion plasma-surface interaction studies. Our pioneering experimental results demonstrated the potential of laser-induced breakdown & ablation spectroscopy (LIBS/LIAS) as a diagnostic suitability for in-situ characterization of the local plasma-facing wall conditions.
My PhD focused on the fundamental studies and process optimization of laser-discharge plasmas as efficient sources of short-wavelength light, down to the EUV spectral range. During this, I participated in projects involving hybrid laser-heated gas-discharge plasma, for high-brightness EUV light sources at research center Jülich. Two of my experiences:
- during the PhD industrial internship at Fraunhofer Institute of Laser Technology (ILT) affiliate Ushio, Germany, and
- after my PhD, working as a research scientist in an innovative company (siriusxt), (spin-out from our spectroscopy group of the School of Physics, UCD, Dublin, Ireland)
had trained me to work in collaborative, challenging & interdisciplinary projects dedicated to laser-plasma based applications with problem-solving through innovation & collaboration.
Apart from this, I co-developed an EU-Erasmus+ inter-institutional mobility project focusing on interdisciplinary and intercultural collaborations, with a consortium of East African Universities and Thomas More University of Applied Science, Belgium.
In my P4F fellowship, I aspire to work with interdisciplinary & international teams from plasma physics, optical emission spectroscopy, high resolution ToF mass spectrometry, and laser-matter interaction using spatially and temporally shaped short- & ultra-short laser beams with potential applications such as in LIBS and PLD-based thin films.