RESUMEN
Particles moving in current sheets under extreme conditions, such as those in the vicinity of pulsars or those predicted on upcoming multipetawatt laser facilities, may be subject to significant radiation losses. We present an analysis of particle motion in model fields of a relativistic neutral electron-positron current sheet in the case when radiative effects must be accounted for. In the Landau-Lifshitz radiation reaction force model, when quantum effects are negligible, an analytical solution for particle trajectories is derived. Based on this solution, for the case when quantum effects are significant an averaged quantum solution in the semiclassical approach is obtained. The applicability region of the solutions is determined and analytical trajectories are found to be in good agreement with those of numerical simulations which account for radiative effects. Based on these results we demonstrate that radiation reaction itself can provide a mechanism of pinching even within a given field consideration.
RESUMEN
As an alternative to Compton backscattering and bremsstrahlung, the process of colliding high-energy electron beams with strong laser fields can more efficiently provide both a cleaner and brighter source of photons in the multi-GeV range for fundamental studies in nuclear and quark-gluon physics. In order to favor the emission of high-energy quanta and minimize their decay into electron-positron pairs, the fields must not only be sufficiently strong, but also well localized. We here examine these aspects and develop the concept of a laser-particle collider tailored for high-energy photon generation. We show that the use of multiple colliding laser pulses with 0.4 PW of total power is capable of converting more than 18% of multi-GeV electrons passing through the high-field region into photons, each of which carries more than half of the electron initial energy.
RESUMEN
The validation of a theory is commonly based on appealing to clearly distinguishable and describable features in properly reduced experimental data, while the use of ab-initio simulation for interpreting experimental data typically requires complete knowledge about initial conditions and parameters. We here apply the methodology of using machine learning for overcoming these natural limitations. We outline some basic universal ideas and show how we can use them to resolve long-standing theoretical and experimental difficulties in the problem of high-intensity laser-plasma interactions. In particular we show how an artificial neural network can "read" features imprinted in laser-plasma harmonic spectra that are currently analysed with spectral interferometry.
RESUMEN
The cascaded production and dynamics of electron-positron plasma in ultimately focused laser fields of extreme intensity are studied by three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations with the account of the relevant processes of quantum electrodynamics (QED). We show that, if the laser facility provides a total power above 20 PW, it is possible to trigger not only a QED cascade but also pinching in the produced electron-positron plasma. The plasma self-compression in this case leads to an abrupt rise of the peak density and magnetic (electric) field up to at least 10^{28}cm^{-3} and 1/20 (1/40) of the Schwinger field, respectively. Determining the actual limits and physics of this process might require quantum treatment beyond the used standard semiclassical approach. The proposed setup can thus provide extreme conditions for probing and exploring fundamental physics of the matter and vacuum.
RESUMEN
Accelerated charges radiate, and therefore must lose energy. The impact of this energy loss on particle motion, called radiation reaction, becomes significant in intense-laser matter interactions, where it can reduce collision energies, hinder particle acceleration schemes, and is seemingly unavoidable. Here we show that this common belief breaks down in short laser pulses, and that energy losses and radiation reaction can be controlled and effectively switched off by appropriate tuning of the pulse length. This "quenching" of emission is impossible in classical physics, but becomes possible in QED due to the discrete nature of quantum emissions.
RESUMEN
We propose a novel mechanism for ion acceleration based on the guided motion of electrons from a thin layer. The electron motion is locked to the moving nodes of a standing wave formed by a chirped laser pulse reflected from a mirror behind the layer. This provides a stable longitudinal field of charge separation, thus giving rise to chirped-standing-wave acceleration of the residual ions of the layer. We demonstrate, both analytically and numerically, that stable proton beams, with energy spectra peaked around 100 MeV, are feasible for pulse energies at the level of 10 J. Moreover, a scaling law for higher laser intensities and layer densities is presented, indicating stable GeV-level energy gains of dense ion bunches, for soon-to-be-available laser intensities.
RESUMEN
We review common extensions of particle-in-cell (PIC) schemes which account for strong field phenomena in laser-plasma interactions. After describing the physical processes of interest and their numerical implementation, we provide solutions for several associated methodological and algorithmic problems. We propose a modified event generator that precisely models the entire spectrum of incoherent particle emission without any low-energy cutoff, and which imposes close to the weakest possible demands on the numerical time step. Based on this, we also develop an adaptive event generator that subdivides the time step for locally resolving QED events, allowing for efficient simulation of cascades. Further, we present a unified technical interface for including the processes of interest in different PIC implementations. Two PIC codes which support this interface, PICADOR and ELMIS, are also briefly reviewed.
RESUMEN
We demonstrate that charged particles in a sufficiently intense standing wave are compressed toward, and oscillate synchronously at, the antinodes of the electric field. We call this unusual behavior anomalous radiative trapping (ART). We show using dipole pulses, which offer a path to increased laser intensity, that ART opens up new possibilities for the generation of radiation and particle beams, both of which are high energy, directed, and collimated. ART also provides a mechanism for particle control in high-intensity quantum-electrodynamics experiments.
RESUMEN
We study nonperturbative pair production in intense, focused laser fields called e-dipole pulses. We address the conditions required, such as the quality of the vacuum, for reaching high intensities without initiating beam-depleting cascades, the number of pairs which can be created, and experimental detection of the created pairs. We find that e-dipole pulses offer an optimal method of investigating nonperturbative QED.
RESUMEN
The generation of ultrastrong attosecond pulses through laser-plasma interactions offers the opportunity to surpass the intensity of any known laboratory radiation source, giving rise to new experimental possibilities, such as quantum electrodynamical tests and matter probing at extremely short scales. Here we demonstrate that a laser irradiated plasma surface can act as an efficient converter from the femto- to the attosecond range, giving a dramatic rise in pulse intensity. Although seemingly similar schemes have been described in the literature, the present setup differs significantly from the previous attempts. We present a model describing the nonlinear process of relativistic laser-plasma interaction. This model, which is applicable to a multitude of phenomena, is shown to be in excellent agreement with particle-in-cell simulations. The model makes it possible to determine a parameter region where the energy conversion from the femto- to the attosecond regime is maximal. Based on the study we propose a concept of laser pulse interaction with a target having a groove-shaped surface, which opens up the potential to exceed an intensity level of 10(26) W/cm(2) and observe effects due to nonlinear quantum electrodynamics with upcoming laser sources.
RESUMEN
We investigate numerically and analytically the polarization properties of high-order harmonics generated by an atom in intense elliptically polarized laser field. The offset angle of the harmonic polarization ellipse can be well described with the semiclassic "simple-man" high-harmonic generation model. The harmonic ellipticity itself, however, can be hardly understood within this model. We show that this ellipticity originates from quantum-mechanical uncertainty of the electron motion. We develop a theoretical approach describing this ellipticity and, more generally, the time evolution of the high-harmonic polarization state within the laser cycle. The analytical results are verified with the exact numerical solution; to make the comparison accurately, we develop a specific technique for separating the contributions of quantum paths in the numerical calculation.
RESUMEN
The regime of multicascade proton acceleration during the interaction of a 10(21)-10(22) W/cm2 laser pulse with a structured target is proposed. The regime is based on the electron charge displacement under the action of laser ponderomotive force and on the effect of relativistically induced slab transparency which allows realization of the idea of multicascade acceleration. It is shown that a target comprising several thin foils properly spaced apart can optimize the acceleration process and give at the output a quasi-monoenergetic beam of protons with energies up to hundreds of MeV with an energy spread of just a few percent.
