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Plasma physics - laser science at extreme intensities

Yes

​​Laser-plasma interaction using the Vulcan Petawatt laser

 
No

When an intense laser pulse interacts with a solid, liquid or gas, it very quickly drives​ it into the fourth state of matter; plasma. A plasma is formed when electrons are released from their host atoms in the presence of the extremely high electric fields of the laser, generating a gaseous soup of subatomic particles consisting of ions and electrons.

All types of radiation are given off during a high power laser-plasma interaction, including beams of electrons, protons, ions, X-rays, gamma rays and neutrons. The radiation is sampled using various diagnostics in the target chamber, which can you give you information about the interaction, such as the plasma temperature. The laser-plasma only exists for the briefest of times, much less than a billionth of a second, but a lot of very interesting and useful physics can go on in that time.

Why are we interested in high power lasers?

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  • Astrophysics in the Laboratory
    High power lasers can be used to recreate conditions in the laboratory that can normally only be found off-planet, be it in the cores of Jovian planets, shocks of young supernova remnants, or in stellar interiors.
  • Bright Laser-Driven Photon Sources
    As well as creating extreme states of matter, ultra-intense laser-matter interactions have the ability to create bright secondary sources from the UV all the way to the Gamma ray end of the spectrum.
  • Compact Particle Accelerators
    When an ultra-intense laser interacts with a volume of gas it can create a plasma wave structure capable of sustaining extremely large electric fields (TV/m) over a very small spatial scale (1 mm). Such fields are 100-1000 times greater than that achievab
  • Fast electron generation and transport
    Experiments on the Vulcan facility have revealed the role played between relativistic electron beams and self-generated magnetic fields in controlling the accelerated electron divergence in a fast ignition scheme.
  • Laser fusion power: a bright approach
    ​High power lasers can be used to compress and heat deuterium–tritium fuel in order to initiate fusion reactions
  • Laser-driven Ion Acceleration
    The study of laser-accelerated proton beams is an exciting area of research at present. The potential applications span from their use as a particle probe to areas of healthcare and industry.
  • Plasma Physics Group
    Plasma Physics Group Home Page