Theoretical Physics, Quantum Electrodynamics in intense electromagnetic fields and finite temperature.

Ben’s research focus is the physics of photons and charged particles in intense electromagnetic fields, which is described by the theory of “strong-field QED”. In particular, Ben works on vacuum polarisation, non-linear Compton scattering, pair-creation and electron-positron-photon cascades probed by intense laser fields and by a finite-temperature background. After completing his dissertation at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, for which he was awarded the Otto Hahn medal, Ben moved to the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich where, along with colleagues from the National Research Nuclear University MePhi in Moscow, Ben won a grant from the Russian Fund for Basic Research (RFBR) for his work on cascades. Ben joined Plymouth University in January 2014 and maintains collaborations with researchers from Germany and Russia.

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