Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Luxe: combining high energy and intensity to spark the vacuum. |
| Authors: |
Heinemann, Beate1 (AUTHOR), Heinzl, Tom2 (AUTHOR), Ringwald, Andreas3 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: |
Europhysics News. Jul/Aug2020, Vol. 51 Issue 4, p14-17. 4p. |
| Subject Terms: |
*VACUUM, *DIELECTRIC breakdown, *QUANTUM electrodynamics, *PAIR production, *NONLINEAR optics, *LINEAR accelerators |
| Abstract: |
The vacuum of quantum electrodynamics (QED) can be viewed as a medium akin to a dielectric which can be polarised by external fields. If these are sufficiently strong, the response of the vacuum becomes nonlinear and involves phenomena such as lightby- light scattering ('nonlinear optics') and, in extremis, 'dielectric breakdown', i.e. real pair production, if a critical field strength is exceeded. The LUXE experiment aims to realise near-critical fields through collisions of photons stemming from an ultra-intense optical laser with high energy electrons or photons provided by the European XFEL linear accelerator. This set-up provides a golden opportunity to enter the uncharted territory of strong-field quantum electrodynamics in the non-perturbative regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: |
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