Light-matter interaction near the Schwinger limit using tightly focused doppler-boosted lasers
Résumé
Strong-field quantum electrodynamics (SF QED) is a burgeoning research topic dealing with
electromagnetic fields comparable to the Schwinger field (≈1.32 × 1018 V=m). While most past and
proposed experiments rely on reaching this field in the rest frame of relativistic particles, the Schwinger
limit could also be approached in the laboratory frame by focusing to its diffraction limit the light reflected
by a plasma mirror irradiated by a multipetawatt laser. We explore the interaction between such intense
light and matter with particle-in-cell simulations. We find that the collision with a relativistic electron beam
would enable the study of the nonperturbative regime of SF QED, while the interaction with a solid target
leads to a profusion of SF QED effects that retroact on the interaction. In both cases, relativistic attosecond
pair jets with high densities are formed.
Domaines
Physique Générale [physics.gen-ph]
Origine : Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte