dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaZettawatt-Exawatt Lasers and Their Applications in Ultrastrong-Field Physics: High Energy Front
| Authors | T. Tajima, G. Mourou |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0111091 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0111091 |
| DOI | 10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.5.031301 |
Abstract
Since its birth, the laser has been extraordinarily effective in the study and applications of laser-matter interaction at the atomic and molecular level and in the nonlinear optics of the bound electron. In its early life, the laser was associated with the physics of electron volts and of the chemical bond. Over the past fifteen years, however, we have seen a surge in our ability to produce high intensities, five to six orders of magnitude higher than was possible before. At these intensities, particles, electrons and protons, acquire kinetic energy in the mega-electron-volt range through interaction with intense laser fields. This opens a new age for the laser, the age of nonlinear relativistic optics coupling even with nuclear physics. We suggest a path to reach an extremely high-intensity level $10^{26-28} $W/cm$^2$ in the coming decade, much beyond the current and near future intensity regime $10^{23} $W/cm$^2$, taking advantage of the megajoule laser facilities. Such a laser at extreme high intensity could accelerate particles to frontiers of high energy, tera-electron-volt and peta-electron-volt, and would become a tool of fundamental physics encompassing particle physics, gravitational physics, nonlinear field theory, ultrahigh-pressure physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. We focus our attention on high-energy applications in particular and the possibility of merged reinforcement of high-energy physics and ultraintense laser.
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"abstract": "Since its birth, the laser has been extraordinarily effective in the study\nand applications of laser-matter interaction at the atomic and molecular level\nand in the nonlinear optics of the bound electron. In its early life, the laser\nwas associated with the physics of electron volts and of the chemical bond.\nOver the past fifteen years, however, we have seen a surge in our ability to\nproduce high intensities, five to six orders of magnitude higher than was\npossible before. At these intensities, particles, electrons and protons,\nacquire kinetic energy in the mega-electron-volt range through interaction with\nintense laser fields. This opens a new age for the laser, the age of nonlinear\nrelativistic optics coupling even with nuclear physics. We suggest a path to\nreach an extremely high-intensity level $10^{26-28} $W/cm$^2$ in the coming\ndecade, much beyond the current and near future intensity regime $10^{23}\n$W/cm$^2$, taking advantage of the megajoule laser facilities. Such a laser at\nextreme high intensity could accelerate particles to frontiers of high energy,\ntera-electron-volt and peta-electron-volt, and would become a tool of\nfundamental physics encompassing particle physics, gravitational physics,\nnonlinear field theory, ultrahigh-pressure physics, astrophysics, and\ncosmology. We focus our attention on high-energy applications in particular and\nthe possibility of merged reinforcement of high-energy physics and ultraintense\nlaser.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0111091",
"authors": [
"T. Tajima",
"G. Mourou"
],
"categories": [
"physics.optics"
],
"doi": "10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.5.031301",
"title": "Zettawatt-Exawatt Lasers and Their Applications in Ultrastrong-Field Physics: High Energy Front",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0111091"
},
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