Abstract
In simulations of a 10 PW laser striking a solid, we demonstrate the possibility of producing a pure electron-positron plasma by the same processes as those thought to operate in high-energy astrophysical environments. A maximum positron density of can be achieved, 7 orders of magnitude greater than achieved in previous experiments. Additionally, of the laser energy is converted to a burst of rays of intensity , potentially the most intense -ray source available in the laboratory. This absorption results in a strong feedback between both pair and -ray production and classical plasma physics in the new “QED-plasma” regime.
- Received 30 September 2011
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.165006
© 2012 American Physical Society
Synopsis
A Blast of Gamma Rays and Positrons
Published 19 April 2012
The next generation of ultrahigh energy lasers will be able to produce extremely dense electron-positron plasmas and intense bursts of gamma rays, according to simulations, and both will lead to new types of experiments.
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