QED cascade saturation in extreme high fields.
Wen Luo1,2, Wei-Yuan Liu3,4, Tao Yuan4,5
1School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China. wen.luo@usc.edu.cn.
Scientific Reports
|June 1, 2018
Summary
Upcoming ultrahigh power lasers will enable experiments on electron-positron (e-e+) pair cascades and relativistic jets. These simulations show cascade saturation, leading to dense jets, potentially explaining astrophysical phenomena.
Area of Science:
- High-energy physics
- Astrophysics
- Plasma physics
Background:
- Extreme astrophysical environments, like black holes and gamma-ray bursts, are associated with relativistic jets.
- The formation, temperature, and composition of these jets remain long-standing questions in astrophysics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To simulate electron-positron (e-e+) pair cascades and relativistic jet formation in controlled laboratory conditions.
- To investigate the behavior of Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) strong-field interactions relevant to astrophysical phenomena.
Main Methods:
- Simulations of pair cascades using two counter-propagating QED-strong laser fields.
- Analysis of cascade growth scaling with laser intensity.
Main Results:
- A scaling law for QED cascade growth was identified, with saturation observed above ~10^24 W/cm^2 laser intensity.
- QED cascade saturation resulted in pair plasma cooling and longitudinal compression.
- This process led to the formation of dense, relativistic e-e+ jets in transverse directions.
Conclusions:
- Laser-driven QED cascade saturation provides a novel pathway to study energetic astrophysical phenomena in a laboratory setting.
- The findings offer insights into the mechanisms behind relativistic jet formation in extreme cosmic environments.
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