Mara Klebonas

As a fourth-year Physics PhD student at UT Austin, I am currently laser operator at the Texas Petawatt Laser Facility. My primary research focus is on quantum effects in hole-boring and photon jet production in petawatt lasersolid target interactions. Previously, I was laser operator of the GHOST facility working towards various lab-astrophysics experiments. I have also conducted research in AMO physics, where my team and I redeveloped our labs magneto-optical trap to study atomic collisions with frequency-chirped laser light. I am passionate about high-energy-density laboratory plasma (HEDLP) physics and aim to contribute to inertial confinement fusion efforts and related areas of research.