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Prolific pair production with high-power lasers

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology 2008-11-12 v2

Abstract

Prolific electron-positron pair production is possible at laser intensities approaching 10^{24} W/cm^2 at a wavelength of 1 micron. An analysis of electron trajectories and interactions at the nodes (B=0) of two counter-propagating, circularly polarised laser beams shows that a cascade of gamma-rays and pairs develops. The geometry is generalised qualitatively to linear polarisation and laser beams incident on a solid target.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0808.2107,
  title  = {Prolific pair production with high-power lasers},
  author = {A. R. Bell and John G. Kirk},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0808.2107},
  year   = {2008}
}

Comments

4 pages, 1 figure, minor revisions, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters

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