Related papers: On the upper limit of laser intensity attainable i…
The cascaded production and dynamics of electron-positron plasma in ultimately focused laser fields of extreme intensity are studied by 3D particle-in-cell simulations with the account for the relevant processes of quantum electrodynamics…
Pulses of extreme ultraviolet (XUV) light, with wavelengths between 10 and 100$\,$nm, can be used to image and excite ultra-fast phenomena such as the motion of atomic electrons. Here we show that the illumination of plasma with…
A planar laser pulse propagating in vacuum can exhibit an extremely large ponderomotive force. This force, however, cannot impart net energy to an electron: As the pulse overtakes the electron, the initial impulse from its rising edge is…
We present a short review of recent progress in studying QED effects of interaction of ultra-relativistic laser pulses with vacuum and $e^-e^+$ plasma. The development of laser technologies promises very rapid growth of laser intensities in…
Reaching light intensities above $10^{25}$ W/cm$^{2}$ and up to the Schwinger limit ($10^{29}$ W/cm$^{2}$) would enable testing decades-old fundamental predictions of Quantum Electrodynamics. A promising yet challenging approach to achieve…
The ion acceleration driven by a laser pulse at intensity $I = 10^{20} - 10^{22} $W/cm$^2\times(\mu$m$/\lambda)^2$ from a double layer target is investigated with multi-parametric Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations. For targets with a wide…
The interaction of petawatt ($10^{15}\ \mathrm{W}$) lasers with solid matter forms the basis for advanced scientific applications such as table-top particle accelerators, ultrafast imaging systems and laser fusion. Key metrics for these…
The Schwinger limit refers to longitudinal electric fields that are sufficiently strong to "polarize the vacuum" into electron-positron pairs by a tunneling mechanism. Laser fields are transverse electromagnetic fields for which the…
Magnetic fields are generated in ionized objects rotating with respect to a radiation background. Based on conservation of canonical ion momentum, it has been previously suggested that even if the radiation intensity is unrestricted the…
The upcoming $10-100$ petawatt laser facilities may deliver laser pulses with unprecedented intensity of $10^{22}-10^{25}\rm~W cm^{-2}$, which can trigger various nonlinear quantum electrodynamic processes in plasma. For effective laser…
The description of the dynamics of an electron in an external electromagnetic field of arbitrary intensity is one of the most fundamental outstanding problems in electrodynamics. Remarkably, to date there is no unanimously accepted…
We derive upper bounds to free-space concentration of electromagnetic waves, mapping out the limits to maximum intensity for any spot size and optical beam-shaping device. For sub-diffraction-limited optical beams, our bounds suggest the…
The quantum vacuum shows an intensity-dependent nonlinear index of refraction. Consequently, we may consider vacuum as a non-linear medium enabling, at sufficiently high field strengths, a direct interaction of light with light. In this…
About 50 years ago, Sarachick and Schappert [Phys. Rev. D. 1, 2738 (1970)] showed that relativistic Thomson scattering leads to wavelength shifts that are proportional to the laser intensity. About 28 years later Chen et al. [Nature 396,…
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…
The emission from an electron in the field of a relativistically strong laser pulse is analyzed. At the pulse intensities of \ge 10^{22} W/cm^2 the emission from counter-propagating electrons is modified by the effects of Quantum…
We present energy-resolved measurements of electron emission from sharp metal tips driven with low energy pulses from a few-cycle laser oscillator. We observe above-threshold photoemission with a photon order of up to 9. At a laser…
We characterize the properties of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source plasmas driven by laser wavelengths in the $\lambda_{\mathrm{laser}} = 1.064 - 10.6 $ $\mu$m range. Detailed numerical simulations of laser-irradiated spherical tin…
The emission from an electron in the field of a relativistically strong laser pulse is analyzed. At pulse intensities of J > 2 10^22 W/cm2 the emission from counter-propagating electrons is modified by the effects of Quantum ElectroDynamics…
We analyze the quantum properties of the light generated by a three-level laser with a closed cavity and coupled to a vacuum reservoir. The three-level atoms available in the cavity are pumped from the bottom to the top level by means of…