Research Overview

My current research focuses on three distinct but related areas: high energy density physics (HEDP), plasma astrophysics, and high performance computing. Substantial collaboration has also been established with researchers and faculty at Laboratory for Laser Energetics and departments of mechanical engineering, physics and astronomy, electrical and computer engineering, and scientists at other institutions.

(Last updated September 2014)

 Selected Recent Publications

1. R. Yan, J. Li, and C. Ren, “Intermittent laser-plasma interactions and hot electron generation in shock ignition,” Phys. Plasmas 21, 062705 (2014); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4882682
2. G. Li, C. Ren, and W. B. Mori, "Laser hosing in relativistically hot plasmas," Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 155002 (2013)
3. J. Park, C. Ren, J. C. Workman, and E. G. Blackman, “Particle-in-cell simulations of particle energization via shock drift acceleration from low Mach number quasi-perpendicular shocks in solar flares,” ApJ 765, 147-157 (2013)
4. R. Yan, C. Ren, J. Li, A. Maximov, W. B. Mori, F. Tsung, and Z.-M. Sheng, “Generating energetic electrons through staged acceleration in the two-plasmon-decay instability in inertial confinement fusion,” Phys. Rev. Lett.  108, 175002 (2012)
5. X. Kong, M. C. Huang, C. Ren, and V. K. Decyk, “Particle-in-cell simulations with charge-conserving current deposition on graphic processing units,” Journal of Computational Physics 230, 1676 (2011)

Research Interests

• High energy density physics (HEDP)
• Plasma astrophysics
• High performance computing