Bulletin of the American Physical Society
59th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics
Volume 62, Number 12
Monday–Friday, October 23–27, 2017; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Session PM9: Mini-Conference on Laser-Matter Interactions: The Next Generation II |
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Chair: Arkady Gonoskov, Chalmers University of Technology Room: 202DE |
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 2:00PM - 2:20PM |
PM9.00001: Exploring extreme plasma physics in the laboratory and in astrophysics L. O. Silva, T. Grismayer, R. A. Fonseca, F. Cruz, F.D. Gaudio, J.L. Martins, J. Vieira, M. Vranic The interaction of ultra intense fields with plasmas is at the confluence of several sub-fields ranging from QED, and nuclear physics to high energy astrophysics, and fundamental plasma processes. It requires novel theoretical tools, highly optimised numerical codes and algorithms tailored to these complex scenarios, where physical mechanisms at very disparate temporal and spatial scales are self-consistently coupled in multidimensional geometries. The key developments implemented in Osiris will be presented along with some examples of problems, relevant for laboratory or astrophysical scenarios, that are being addressed resorting to the combination of massively parallel simulations with theoretical models. The relevance for near future experimental facilities such as ELI will also be presented. [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 2:20PM - 2:40PM |
PM9.00002: Quantum regime in new collider configurations Thomas Grismayer, Marija Vranic, Fabrizio Del Gaudio, Ricardo Fonseca, Luis Silva The increasingly successful development of plasma accelerators suggests that tabletop devices will deliver high-energy electron/positron beams, reaching tens of GeV and high densities, in the near future. It is possible to capitalize on this technology to probe quantum effects in two scenarios: colliding the particle beams themselves or colliding the beam with an intense laser. We revisit the pioneering work, that addressed TeV beams [1], and we show that it is a feasible setup to produce collimated gamma rays and pairs [2] with GeV beams. The second scenario allows to explore the radiation-dominated regime and to predict signatures for both classical [3] and quantum radiation reaction [4] in the laboratory: we demonstrate the key beam signatures to be probed in future experiments. These studies are supported by analytical predictions that are in full agreement with the simulations performed with multidimensional QED simulations with the OSIRIS framework. [1] P. Chen and V. I Telnov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 63, 1796 (1989). [2] F. Del Gaudio et al, to be submitted (2017) [3] M. Vranic et. al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 134801 (2014). [4] M. Vranic et. al, New J. Phys, 18, 073035 (2016) [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 2:40PM - 3:00PM |
PM9.00003: Second order nonlinear QED processes in ultra-strong laser fields Felix Mackenroth In the interaction of ultra-intense laser fields with matter the ever increasing peak laser intensities render nonlinear QED effects ever more important. For long, ultra-intense laser pulses scattering large systems, like a macroscopic plasma, the interaction time can be longer than the scattering time, leading to multiple scatterings. These are usually approximated as incoherent cascades of single-vertex processes. Under certain conditions, however, this common cascade approximation may be insufficient, as it disregards several effects such as coherent processes, quantum interferences or pulse shape effects. Quantifying deviations of the full amplitude of multiple scatterings from the commonly employed cascade approximations is a formidable, yet unaccomplished task. In this talk we are going to discuss how to compute second order nonlinear QED amplitudes and relate them to the conventional cascade approximation. We present examples for typical second order processes and benchmark the full result against common approximations. We demonstrate that the approximation of multiple nonlinear QED scatterings as a cascade of single interactions has certain limitations and discuss these limits in light of upcoming experimental tests. [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 3:00PM - 3:20PM |
PM9.00004: Strong-field QED processes in laser and plasma environments Sebastian Meuren, Christoph H. Keitel, Antonino Di Piazza Highly relativistic particles can probe the QED critical field if they propagate through strong electromagnetic fields, e.g., in a plasma environment [1]. In this regime nonlinear and nonperturbative QED effects become important and thus a complicated interplay between strong-field QED and plasma physics takes place. To render numerical calculations in this regime feasible the so-called QED-PIC approach has been developed [2], which is based on the semiclassical approximation. Recently, we have investigated the validity of the semiclassical approximation by examining the nonlinear Breit-Wheeler process (electron-positron photoproduction) inside a plane-wave laser field in detail [3]. In the talk the difference between classical and quantum absorption of laser energy, the importance of interference effects and the possibility of recollision processes [4] will be discussed. \newline\noindent [1] Di Piazza et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. \textbf{84}, 1177 (2012)\newline\noindent [2] A. Gonoskov et al., Phys. Rev. E \textbf{92}, 023305 (2015)\newline\noindent [3] SM, C.\ H.\ Keitel and A.\ Di Piazza, Phys.\ Rev.\ D \textbf{93}, 085028 (2016)\newline\noindent [4] SM, K. Z. Hatsagortsyan, C. H. Keitel and A. Di Piazza, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{114}, 143201 (2015) [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 3:20PM - 3:40PM |
PM9.00005: Influence of the ion mass on quantum electrodynamics processes with the next generation high power lasers Remi Capdessus, Paul McKenna The construction of a number of new multi-petawatt laser facilities in Europe, USA and China has generated intense interest in the exploration of new physical regimes involving ultra-strong electromagnetic fields in which a significant amount of the laser energy is converted into high energy synchrotron radiation and in which electron-positron pairs can be produced. These new laser facilities will enable experimental exploration of this science for the first time. From an ultra-intense laser pulse (I > 10$^{23}$ W/cm$^2$) interacting with a plasma, we bring out the impact of the ion collective dynamics on the basic quantum electrodynamics processes such as high energy synchrotron radiation generation and the production of electron-positron pairs in the non-linear Breit-Wheeler process. Relevant cases are qualitatively discussed as well as potential future experiments. [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 3:40PM - 4:00PM |
PM9.00006: Possibilities to observe Delbr\"uck scattering at next generation laser facilities James Koga, Takehito Hayakawa We have previously shown that by using high-flux linearly polarized laser Compton gamma-ray sources the contribution of the vacuum component, Delbr\"uck scattering, to the elastic scattering of the gamma-rays off nuclei could be nearly isolated at photon energies of 1.1 MeV [1]. Since for photon energies below the electron-positron pair creation threshold of 1.022 MeV the complex Delbr\"uck scattering amplitude is real and measures only the contribution from virtual pairs [2], it is of interest to measure it for the properties of vacuum. We present our calculations for sub-MeV photon energies and discuss the possibility of measuring Delbr\"uck scattering at new ultra-high power laser and X-ray Free Electron Laser facilities. [1] J. K. Koga and T. Hayakawa, Phys. Rev. Lett 118, 204801 (2017). [2] H. E. Jackson and K. J. Wetzel, Phys. Rev. Lett. 22, 1008 (1969). [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 4:00PM - 4:20PM |
PM9.00007: Spin polarization of electrons by ultra-intense lasers Dario Del Sorbo, Daniel Seipt, Tom G. Blackburn, Alexander G. R. Thomas, Christopher D. Murphy, John G. Kirk, Christopher Ridgers At the intensities accessible by the soon to be completed Extreme Light Infrastructure, laser-matter interactions are predicted to reach a new regime characterized by the interplay of relativistic plasma kinetics and non-linear QED processes. In order to understand the dynamics of this QED-plasmas, it is necessary to have an accurate description of the micro-dynamics of particles undergoing QED processes in the strong background field of the laser. Standard treatments average over the spin degree of freedom. However, Sokolov and Ternov demonstrated that ultra-relativistic electrons and positrons spin polarize up to 92.4\%, in a strong magnetic field, after a characteristic time. We show that electron spin-polarization can also occur in the electromagnetic fields of next-generation lasers. In particular, we study the case of electrons orbiting in a rotating electric field -- a configuration that may be realized at the magnetic node of two colliding, circularly-polarised laser pulses. The spin-polarization of the electrons by high-intensity lasers can occur very rapidly, we predict on the femtosecond time scale [1]. [1] Del Sorbo, arXiv preprint arXiv:1702.03203 (2017). [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 4:20PM - 4:40PM |
PM9.00008: Flying relativistic mirrors for nonlinear QED studies. Stepan Bulanov, Carl Schroeder, Eric Esarey, Wim Leemans Recent progress in laser technology has led to a dramatic increase of laser power and intensity. As a result, the laser--matter interaction will happen in the radiation dominated regimes. In a strong electromagnetic field, electrons can be accelerated to such high velocities that the radiation reaction starts to play an important role. The radiation effects change drastically the laser--plasma interaction leading to fast energy losses. Moreover, previously unexplored regimes of the interaction will be entered into, in which quantum electrodynamics (QED) can occur. Depending on the laser intensity and wavelength, either classical or quantum mode of radiation reaction prevail. In order to study different regimes of interaction as well as the transition from one into another the utilization of flying relativistic mirrors, which can generate electromagnetic pulses with varying frequency and intensity, is proposed. The scheme is demonstrated for multiphoton Compton scattering. [Preview Abstract] |
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