Speaker
G. M. Samarin
Description
See the full Abstract at http://ocs.ciemat.es/EPS2018ABS/pdf/P4.2018.pdf
All-Optical Studies of High-Field QED Processes: Experimental
Limitations
G. M. Samarin1, M. Zepf1, 2, G. Sarri1
1
School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
2
Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany
Uncovering the physics of processes such as quantum radiation reaction and photon-photon
pair production remain some of the biggest challenges of experimental investigations in the
realm of high-field Quantum Electrodynamics. The experimental limitations in the
conventional dual beam all-optical setups which are standard to study these phenomena1 are
reviewed. Particular emphasis is made on the topics of spatial-temporal overlap of laser
beams and how this translates to particle-laser synchronisation, spectral range and
reproducibility of conventional laser wakefield accelerators2, and the difficulty of measuring
the products of extremely low cross-section events. Potential solutions for these problems
and how they can be implemented in both current and prospective laser facilities are outlined.
[1] Cole, J. M., Behm, K. T., Gerstmayr, E., Blackburn, T. G., Wood, J. C., Baird, C. D,
Duff, MJ, Harvey, C, Ilderton, A, Joglekar, AS, Krushelnick, K, Kuschel, S, Marklund, M,
McKenna, P, Murphy, CD, Poder, K, Ridgers, CP, Samarin, GM, Sarri, G, Symes, D,
Thomas, AGR, Warwick, J, Zepf, M, Najmudin, Z & Mangles, S. P. D.
(2018). Experimental evidence of radiation reaction in the collision of a high-intensity laser
pulse with a laser-wakefield accelerated electron beam. Physical Review X, 8(1), [011020].
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.8.011020
[2] G. M. Samarin, M. Zepf & G. Sarri (2017) Radiation reaction studies in an all-optical set-
up: experimental limitations, Journal of Modern Optics, 64:21, 2281-2288, DOI:
10.1080/09500340.2017.1353655.
