Laser Plasma Interaction Computational Physicist

Xcimer Energy•Denver, CO

About The Position

Xcimer Energy leverages decades of research on Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) combined with groundbreaking new laser architecture. Our mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. Xcimer has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by leading investors, Xcimer is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. Join us in powering a better world with inertial fusion! As a Laser Plasma Interaction (LPI) Computational Physicist , you will develop and extend Xcimer’s laser plasma interaction (LPI) modeling capabilities through both community simulation tools and next-generation in-house code development. You will support the development of computational frameworks that model collisional plasma kinetics, paraxial laser propagation, and coupled LPI phenomena critical to Xcimer’s fusion systems. We are looking for physicists to apply their expertise in plasma physics, scientific computing, and high-performance simulation to positively impact the future of energy!

Requirements

PhD in Computational Physics, Plasma Physics, Applied Physics, or a closely related technical field.
Strong software development skills in modern C++ and Python.
Experience developing physics simulation codes with emphasis on modular software architecture, maintainability, and software quality.
Strong understanding of laser plasma interaction physics, collisional plasma kinetics, and laser propagation models.
Familiarity with numerical methods for partial differential equations, kinetic plasma simulations, and/or paraxial wave equations.
Experience using, extending, or validating community simulation tools such as particle-in-cell (PIC) or fluid plasma codes.
Experience working independently and leading technically complex software development efforts.
Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Nice To Haves

Experience with WarpX, LPSE, pF3D, or similar laser plasma interaction simulation tools.
Experience with high-performance computing, including MPI/OpenMP parallelization and/or GPU acceleration.
Familiarity with modern scientific software architectures including plugin systems, composable frameworks, or modular physics engines.
Experience within inertial confinement fusion (ICF), high-energy-density physics, or advanced plasma modeling environments.
Demonstrated experience building extensible scientific software platforms that support long-term collaboration and multi-user development.

Responsibilities

Deploy, configure, and extend existing simulation tools such as WarpX and LPSE to model laser plasma interaction phenomena relevant to Xcimer’s laser architecture.
Develop workflows, simulation setups, post-processing pipelines, and benchmarking methodologies for efficient and repeatable simulation execution.
Lead the design and development of in-house LPI simulation software focused on collisional kinetics and paraxial laser propagation models.
Architect simulation software using modular, extensible, and maintainable scientific software frameworks with strong emphasis on composability and long-term scalability.
Implement and validate core physics models including collisional plasma kinetics, paraxial laser propagation, stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), filamentation, and cross-beam energy transfer (CBET).
Perform verification, convergence studies, and benchmarking against existing tools, published results, and experimental data to ensure numerical robustness and model credibility.
Optimize simulation software for high-performance computing environments, including parallelization and scalability across modern compute architectures.
Maintain rigorous software engineering practices including version control, automated testing infrastructure, documentation, and reproducibility standards.
Collaborate cross-functionally with laser architecture, gas optics, radiation hydrodynamics, experimental physics, and other engineering teams to prioritize simulation efforts and integrate modeling outputs into broader system development activities.
Contribute to Xcimer’s long-term computational modeling strategy by identifying opportunities to integrate new physics capabilities and couple simulation domains through shared modular architectures.