Directed high energy radiation and particle beams generated using extreme magnetic fields

Project description

The multi-PW, multi-beam laser facilities that are currently under construction will offer a unique capability of driving multiple current filaments in a dense plasma that can sustain extreme magnetic fields. The main goal of the project is to investigate how such a capability can be leveraged to create previously unattainable extreme conditions for delivering directed high-energy radiation and particle beams. We are also conducting a feasibility study for direct experimental detection of the laser-driven MT magnetic fields using novel capabilities that will become available at the next-generation laser facilities, which would be critical for validating the regimes of interest experimentally. The ultimate goal of the project is to develop fundamental understanding of how multiple laser beams of extreme intensity interact with matter in order to develop experiments that would access the most promising regimes for gamma ray and pair production at the next generation laser systems, including ELI.