The 4th International Conference on Matter and Radiation at Extremes (ICMRE 2019)

316 / 2019-02-09 17:13:08

Novel approach to the Schwinger limit: Micro-bubble implosion as a plasma-optical device

Micro-bubble implosion, Ultrahigh field generation, Schwinger limit

Plenary track > Fundamental Physics at Extremes

In the past quarter century, the chirped-pulse-amplification (CPA) technique has increased the laser intensity more than ten million times. Consequently, diverse research via laser-matter interactions has been pursued. To date, many studies have focused on increasing laser performance with regard to power and intensity to investigate even higher regimes towards the Schwinger field, which is the extreme intensity to quest for the ultimate fundamental phenomenon - vacuum physics. However, the current ”distance” in the laser intensity to the Schwinger field is still roughly seven orders of magnitude away.
We propose a novel principle to make a substantial leap toward the Schwinger limit by using a new concept “micro-bubble implosions”, which we have recently published [Scientific Reports 8, 7537 (2018)]. In the previous work, we demonstrated the physical concept how to compress a micron-sized bubble contained in a solid target by an intense laser. By contrast, in this new submission, we reveal the unexplored core physics to achieve the ultrahigh electric field. Apparently, there is no preceding work relevant to the current work.