Consultancy at Positronic Physics Solutions Ltd is provided by
Dr. Daniel Murtagh, an experimental physicist with over two decades of
experience in atomic, plasma and antimatter research. He has designed, built and operated
complex instrumentation, traps and beamlines at leading institutions including CERN, RIKEN,
the Australian National University, the Stefan Meyer Institute / Marietta Blau Institute, and
University College London.
Career Background
Scientist & Group Leader – ASACUSA-Cusp experiment
Stefan Meyer Institute / Marietta Blau Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2018 – 2025
Lead experimental development of the ASACUSA-Cusp antihydrogen beamline at CERN; management of
international teams designing and operating positron and antiproton trapping systems; delivery of
record-density positron plasmas and new methods for spin-polarised antihydrogen production; oversight
of laboratory infrastructure, and safety systems.
Research Fellow – Positron & Plasma Physics Laboratory
Australian National University, Canberra 2015 – 2017
Developed positron cooling and beam transport systems for collision experiments; contributed to
modelling of positronium in the interstellar medium; supervised graduate students and supported
upgrades to experimental instrumentation.
JSPS / RIKEN Postdoctoral Fellow
RIKEN, Japan 2011 – 2015
Key contributor to the early design of the ASACUSA-Cusp apparatus and positron source commissioning;
recipient of competitive RIKEN and JSPS fellowships; published multiple first-author papers on
positron scattering, moderation and antihydrogen formation.
Research Associate – Positron Scattering Group
University College London, UK 2007 – 2011
Performed precision measurements of positron-impact ionisation and excitation cross-sections;
co-authored PRL papers on molecular ionisation and excited-state positronium formation.
Education: PhD in Atomic Physics (University College London); MPhys in Astrophysics
(University of Sussex).
Core Technical Expertise
Design and commissioning of non-neutral plasma traps and Penning–Malmberg systems
Positron, positronium and antihydrogen production, transport and diagnostics
Beamline and ultra-high-vacuum system design, pumping schemes and integration
Cryogenic systems and low-temperature operation of traps and detectors
Advanced experimental diagnostics and signal processing
MCP, scintillator, BGO and PMT-based detector systems
DAQ and control concepts (LabVIEW, Python, timing, interlocks, PSU control)
Monte Carlo simulations and modelling of experimental response
Run coordination, experiment planning and operations at international facilities
Preparation and review of technical documentation, proposals and reports
Funding, Leadership & Collaboration
Principal Investigator on FWF project “Characterization of (anti)hydrogen production in ASACUSA” (~€400k)
Principal Investigator for ÖAW “Antihydrogen Junior Group”
Recipient of RIKEN and JSPS postdoctoral fellowships (combined >21M Yen)
Chair of the ASACUSA-Cusp Experimental Planning Committee and member of the Publications & Talks Board
Organising committee roles for conferences including DISCRETE and EXA/LEAP
Publications, Talks & Recognition
Dr Murtagh has co-authored numerous papers in journals such as
Physical Review Letters, Physical Review A, Physical Review D, Nature Communications,
and Journal of Plasma Physics, spanning topics from positron scattering and positronium
formation to antihydrogen beam production and non-neutral plasma physics.
He has presented at more than 20 international conferences and workshops (including DISCRETE,
Symmetries in Subatomic Physics, SLOPOS/POSMOL/ICPA), with invited and plenary talks across
Europe, Asia and Australia, and research seminars at institutions such as UCL, ANU, RIKEN,
University of Milan, Aarhus and Queen’s Belfast.
Awards include the Drachman Prize in Positron Physics (NASA / Institute of Physics).
A full publication list is available via ORCID: 0000-0003-3042-136X.
How This Translates to Consultancy
The consultancy is focused on solving concrete problems: experiment design issues, beamline
and vacuum questions, detector and DAQ challenges, and planning or reviewing complex
experimental campaigns. The goal is to bring two decades of hands-on experience and hard-won
lessons into focused, high-impact support for current experiments.