Self-triggered strong-field QED collisions in laser-plasma interaction

Résumé fourni par la source

Exploring quantum electrodynamics in the most extreme conditions, where electron-positron pairs can emerge in the presence of a strong background field, is now becoming possible in Compton collisions between ultraintense lasers and energetic electrons. In the strong-field regime, the colliding electron emits γ rays that decay into pairs in the strong laser field. While the combination of conventional accelerators and lasers of sufficient power poses significant challenges, laser-plasma accelerators offer a promising alternative for producing the required multi-GeV electron beams. To overcome the complexities of colliding these beams with another ultraintense laser pulse, we propose a scheme in which a single laser pulse both accelerates the electrons and collides with them after self-focusing in a dedicated plasma section and reflecting off a plasma mirror. The laser intensity boost in the plasma allows the quantum interaction parameter to be greatly increased. Using full-scale numerical simulations, we demonstrate that a single 100 J laser pulse can achieve a deep quantum regime with electric fields in the electron rest frame as high as χ e ∼ 5 times the Schwinger critical field, resulting in the production of about 40 pC of positrons.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.