Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The effect of nonlinear quantum electrodynamics on relativistic transparency and laser absorption in ultra-relativistic plasmas
AU - Zhang, Peng
AU - Ridgers, C. P.
AU - Thomas, A. G. R.
PY - 2015/4/24
Y1 - 2015/4/24
N2 - With the aid of large-scale three-dimensional quantum electrodynamics (QED)-particle-in-cell simulations, we describe a potential experimental configuration to measure collective effects that couple strong field QED to plasma kinetics and develop a simple analytic model that describes the absorption due to radiation emission. For two counter propagating lasers interacting with a foil at intensities exceeding 10(22) W cm(-2), a near-binary result occurs; when quantum effects are included, a foil that classically would effectively transmit the laser pulse becomes opaque. This is a dramatic change in plasma behavior, directly as a consequence of the coupling of radiation reaction and pair production to plasma dynamics.
AB - With the aid of large-scale three-dimensional quantum electrodynamics (QED)-particle-in-cell simulations, we describe a potential experimental configuration to measure collective effects that couple strong field QED to plasma kinetics and develop a simple analytic model that describes the absorption due to radiation emission. For two counter propagating lasers interacting with a foil at intensities exceeding 10(22) W cm(-2), a near-binary result occurs; when quantum effects are included, a foil that classically would effectively transmit the laser pulse becomes opaque. This is a dramatic change in plasma behavior, directly as a consequence of the coupling of radiation reaction and pair production to plasma dynamics.
KW - laser
KW - plasma
KW - strong field
KW - radiation
KW - pair production
KW - QED
KW - absorption
KW - ENERGY
KW - DYNAMICS
KW - FIELD
U2 - 10.1088/1367-2630/17/4/043051
DO - 10.1088/1367-2630/17/4/043051
M3 - Journal article
VL - 17
JO - New Journal of Physics
JF - New Journal of Physics
SN - 1367-2630
M1 - 043051
ER -