Abstract
High-energy γ-photon generation via nonlinear Compton scattering and electron–positron pair creation via the Breit–Wheeler process driven by laser–plasma interaction are modeled, and a number of mechanisms are proposed. Owing to the small cross section, these processes require both an ultra-intense laser field and a relativistic electron bunch. The extreme conditions for such scenarios can be achieved through recent developments in laser technology. Photon emission via nonlinear Thomson and Compton scattering has been observed experimentally. High-energy positron beams generated via a multiphoton process have recently been observed too. This paper reviews the principles of γ-ray emission and e+e− pair creation in the context of laser–plasma interaction. Several proposed experimental setups for γ-ray emission and e+e− pair creation by ultra-intense laser pulses are compared in terms of their efficiency and the quality of the γ-photon and positron beams produced for ultrashort (15 fs) and longer (150 fs) multi-petawatt laser beams.
Highlights
The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Ashkin, Mourou, and Strickland for their groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics
High-energy γ-photon generation via nonlinear Compton scattering and electron–positron pair creation via the Breit–Wheeler process driven by laser–plasma interaction are modeled, and a number of mechanisms are proposed
This paper reviews the principles of γ-ray emission and e+e− pair creation in the context of laser–plasma interaction
Summary
The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Ashkin, Mourou, and Strickland for their groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics. Nonlinear Compton scattering is the main mechanism for γ-ray production in the case of relativistic electrons interacting with ultra-intense electromagnetic (EM) fields. According to Benedetti et al., collimated γ-ray flashes with high brilliance [1025 s−1 mm−2 mrad−2 (0.1%BW)−1] are obtained via plasma filaments as a result of synchrotron emission from an ultrarelativistic electron bunch traveling in a millimeter-scale conductor. The small cross section for photon–photon collisions means that the threshold field intensity for BW process can be as high as 1024 W cm−2.7 QED cascades in the multiple counterpropagating regime have been proposed in recent theoretical studies.. Regimes involving pair creation with a single laser pulse have been proposed on the basis of a strong electron self-injection effect and circular oscillations in the plasma channel..
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