Ultra-strong laser pulses can be so intense that an electron in the focused beam loses significant energy due to gamma-photon emission while its motion deviates via the radiation back-reaction. Numerical methods and tools designed to simulate radiation-dominated and QED-strong laser-plasma interactions are summarized here.
The Lagrangian formulation of the scalar and spinor quantum electrodynamics (QED) in the presence of strong laser fields in a plasma medium is considered. We include the plasma influence in the free Lagrangian analogously to the "Furry picture" and obtain coupled equations of motion for the plasma particles and for the laser propagation. We demonstrate that the strong-field wave (i.e. the laser) satisfies a massive dispersion relation and obtain self-consistently the effective mass of the laser photons. The Lagrangian formulation derived in this paper is the basis for the cross sections calcul…
QED cascades play an important role in extreme astrophysical environments like magnetars. They can also be produced by passing a relativistic electron beam through an intense laser field. Signatures of collective pair plasma effects in these QED cascades are shown to appear, in exquisite detail, through plasma-induced frequency upshifts in the laser spectrum. Remarkably, these signatures can be detected even in small plasma volumes moving at relativistic speeds. Strong-field quantum and collective pair plasma effects can thus be explored with existing technology, provided that ultra-dense elec…
In simulations of a 12.5PW laser (focused intensity I = 4x10^23W/cm^2) striking a solid aluminium target 10% of the laser energy is converted to gamma-rays. A dense electron-positron plasma is generated with a maximum density of 10^26/m^3; seven orders of magnitude denser than pure e-e+ plasmas generated with 1PW lasers. When the laser power is increased to 320PW (I = 10^25W/cm^2) 40% of the laser energy is converted to gamma-ray photons and 10% to electron-positron pairs. In both cases there is strong feedback between the QED emission processes and the plasma physics; the defining feature of …
Plasma modes in QED super-strong magnetic fields of magnetars and laser plasmas
Institute for Advanced Study, School for Natural Sciences, Princeton(普林斯顿高等研究院自然科学学院);Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University(普林斯顿大学天体物理科学系);Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas(堪萨斯大学物理与天文系);Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology(麻省理工学院核科学实验室)
In this work, a many body relativistic quantum field theory for the collective modes of spinor quantum electrodynamic theory (QED) plasmas is developed. We introduce the thermo field dynamics into the QED plasma study. The nontrivial background field method is used to take account of the non-perturbativity of background charged plasma particles and radiation field. It is an extension of "Furry picture" which is first introduced by Yuan Shi, et al. [Phys. Rev. A 94, 012124 (2016)] in their scalar QED plasma study. However, their wave function method in evaluating the background field of ideal s…
A relativistic quantum field theory with nontrivial background fields is developed and applied to study waves in plasmas. The effective action of the electromagnetic 4-potential is calculated ab initio from the standard action of scalar QED using path integrals. The resultant effective action is gauge invariant and contains nonlocal interactions, from which gauge bosons acquire masses without breaking the local gauge symmetry. To demonstrate how the general theory can be applied, we study a cold unmagnetized plasma and a cold uniformly magnetized plasma. Using these two examples, we show that …
Real-time lattice quantum electrodynamics (QED) provides a unique tool for simulating plasmas in the strong-field regime, where collective plasma scales are not well-separated from relativistic-quantum scales. As a toy model, we study scalar QED, which describes self-consistent interactions between charged bosons and electromagnetic fields. To solve this model on a computer, we first discretize the scalar-QED action on a lattice, in a way that respects geometric structures of exterior calculus and U(1)-gauge symmetry. The lattice scalar QED can then be solved, in the classical-statistics regim…
The equilibrium size and temperature limits of thermally and chemically equilibrated $e^+e^-γ$ plasma drops are investigated at a given energy content. For a plasma to be equilibrated it must be opaque to electron and photon interactions. The opaqueness condition is determined by comparing plasma size with the mean free electron and photon paths. We calculate those paths using thermal Lorentz-invariant reaction rates for pair production and electron(positron) and photon scattering. The range of the corresponding plasma temperature and size is evaluated numerically. Considering the energy and s…
Plasmas are usually described using classical equations. While this is often a good approximation, where are situations when a quantum description is motivated. In this paper we will include several quantum effects, ranging from particle dispersion, which give raise to the so called Bohm potential, to spin effects, and to quantum electrodynamical effects. The later effects appears when the field strength approaches the Schwinger critical field, which may occur in for example astrophysical systems. Examples of how to model such quantum effects will be presented, and the phenomena resulting from…
The quantum electrodynamical (QED) short wavelength correction on plasma wave propagation for a non-relativistic quantum plasma is investigated. A general dispersion relation for a thermal multi-component quantum plasma is derived. It is found that the classical dispersion relation for any wave mode can be modified to include quantum and short wavelength QED effects by simple substitutions of the thermal velocity and the plasma frequency. Furthermore, the dispersion relation has been modified to include QED effects of strong magnetic fields. It is found that strong magnetic fields together wit…
The effect of short wavelength quantum electrodynamic (QED) correction on plasma-wave propagation is investigated. The effect on plasma oscillations and on electromagnetic waves in an unmagnetized as well as a magnetized plasma is investigated. The effects of the short wavelength QED corrections are most significant for plasma oscillations and for extraordinary modes. In particular, the QED correction allow plasma oscillations to propagate, and the extra-ordinary mode looses its stop band. The significance of our results is discussed.
We calculate the drag and diffusion coefficients in low temperature QED plasma and go beyond the leading order approximation. The non-Fermi-liquid behavior of these coefficients are clearly revealed. We observe that the subleading contributions due to the exchange of soft transverse photon in both cases are larger than the leading order terms coming from the longitudinal sector. The results are presented in closed form at zero and low temperature.
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)(中国科学院上海光学精密机械研究所);Institute for Applied Physics of Russian Academy of Sciences(俄罗斯科学院应用物理研究所)
Magnetars are surrounded by diffuse plasma in magnetic field strengths well above the quantum electrodynamic critical value. We derive equations of "quantum force-free electrodynamics" for this plasma using effective field theory arguments. We argue that quantum effects do not modify the large scale structure of the magnetosphere, and in particular that the spin-down rate does not deviate significantly from the classical result. We provide definite evolution equations that can be used to explore potentially important small-scale corrections, such as shock formation, which has been proposed as …
We develop a covariant density matrix approach to kinetic theory of QED plasmas subjected into a strong external electromagnetic field. A canonical quantization of the system on space-like hyperplanes in Minkowski space and a covariant generalization of the Coulomb gauge is used. The condensate mode associated with the mean electromagnetic field is separated from the photon degrees of freedom by a time-dependent unitary transformation of both, the dynamical variables and the nonequilibrium statistical operator. Therefore even in the case of strong external fields a perturbative expansion in or…
Starting from a general relativistic kinetic equation, a self-consistent mean-field equation for fermions is derived within a covariant density matrix approach of QED plasmas in strong external fields. A Schrödinger picture formulation on space-like hyperplanes is applied. The evolution of the distribution function is described by the one-particle gauge-invariant 4x4 Wigner matrix, which is decomposed in spinor space. A coupled system of equations for the corresponding Wigner components is obtained. The polarization current is expressed in terms of the Wigner function. Charge conservation is o…
The paper examines the prospects of using laser plasmas for studying novel regimes of the magnetic field line reconnection and charged particle acceleration. Basic features of plasma dynamics in the three-dimensional configurations relevant to the formation of current sheets in a plasma are addressed by analyzing exact self-similar solutions of the magneto-hydrodynamics and electron magneto-hydrodynamics equations. Then the magnetic field annihilation in the ultrarelativistic limit is considered, when the opposite polarity magnetic field is generated in collisionless plasma by multiple laser p…
We study the vacuum polarization tensor of QED (quantum electrodynamics) at high temperatures up to the two loop levels and its effect on the electromagnetic properties of a medium. One loop corrections to QED coupling vanish at low temperatures (T$\leq 10^{10}K$), but they play an important role at high temperature ( T$\geq 10^{10}$ K) to study the behavior of QED medium at these temperatures. At low temperatures ( $T \leq m_e$)higher order loops give a tiny correction due to the coupling of radiation with matter and an overlap of hot photon loop with cold fermion loop contributes to this eff…
In strong electromagnetic fields, new plasma phenomena and applications emerge, whose modeling requires analytical theories and numerical schemes that I will develop in this thesis. Based on my new results of the classical plasma model, the role of strong magnetic fields during laser-plasma interactions can now be understood. Moreover, based my new quantum electrodynamics (QED) models for plasmas, it is now possible to understand strong-field QED effects in astrophysical environments and test them in laboratory settings.
For simulating laser-plasma interactions, we developed a parallel, multi-dimensional, fully relativistically particle-in-cell (PIC) code, named YUNIC. The core algorithm is introduced, including field solver, particle pusher, field interpolation, and current interpolation. In addition to the classical electromagnetic interaction in plasmas, nonlinear Compton scattering and nonlinear Breit-Wheeler pair production are also implemented based on Monte-Carlo methods to study quantum electrodynamics (QED) processes. We benchmark YUNIC against theories and other PIC codes through several typical case…
A model for laser light absorption in electron-positron plasmas self-consistently created via QED cascades is described. The laser energy is mainly absorbed due to hard photon emission via nonlinear Compton scattering. The degree of absorption depends on the laser intensity and the pulse duration. The QED cascades are studied with multi-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations complemented by a QED module and a macro-particle merging algorithm that allows to handle the exponential growth of the number of particles. Results range from moderate-intensity regimes ($\sim$ 10 PW) where the laser ab…
Research on laser-plasma interaction in the quantum-electrodynamic (QED) regime has been greatly advanced by particle-in-cell & Monte-Carlo simulations (PIC-MC). While these simulations are widely used, we find that noticeable numerical error arises due to inappropriate implementation of the quantum process accounting for hard photon emission and pair production in the PIC-MC codes. The error stems from the low resolution of the QED table used to sample photon energy, which is generated in the logarithmic scale and cannot resolve high energy photons. We propose a new sampling method via Sigmoi…
An all-optical scheme is proposed for studying a laser-plasma based incoherent photon emission from inverse Compton scattering in quantum electrodynamic (QED) regime. A theoretical model is presented to explain the coupling effect among radiation reaction trapping, self-generated magnetic field and spiral attractor in phase space, which guarantees the energy and angular momentum (AM) transformation from electromagnetic fields to particles. Taking advantage of a prospective $\sim$10$^{23}$W/cm$^{2}$ laser facility, 3D Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations manifest the present gamma-ray flash with …
Ultrarelativistic electron-positron plasmas can be produced in high-intensity laser fields and play a role in various astrophysical situations. Their properties can be calculated using QED at finite temperature. Here we will use perturbative QED at finite temperature for calculating various important properties, such as the equation of state, dispersion relations of collective plasma modes of photons and electrons, Debye screening, damping rates, mean free paths, collision times, transport coefficients, and particle production rates, of ultrarelativistic electron-positron plasmas. In particula…
Physical scenarios where the electromagnetic fields are so strong that Quantum ElectroDynamics (QED) plays a substantial role are one of the frontiers of contemporary plasma physics research. Investigating those scenarios requires state-of-the-art Particle-In-Cell (PIC) codes able to run on top high-performance computing machines and, at the same time, able to simulate strong-field QED processes. This work presents the PICSAR-QED library, an open-source, portable implementation of a Monte Carlo module designed to provide modern PIC codes with the capability to simulate such processes, and opti…
Ultrarelativistic electron-positron plasmas can be produced in high-intensity laser fields and play a role in various astrophysical situations. Their properties can be calculated using QED at finite temperature. Here we will use perturbative QED at finite temperature for calculating various important properties, such as the equation of state, dispersion relations of collective plasma modes of photons and electrons, Debye screening, damping rates, mean free paths, collision times, transport coefficients, and particle production rates, of ultrarelativistic electron-positron plasmas. In particula…
We propose a scheme to explore regimes of strong-field Quantum Electrodynamics (SF-QED) otherwise unattainable with the currently available laser technology. The scheme relies on relativistic plasma mirrors curved by radiation pressure to boost the intensity of PetaWatt-class laser pulses by Doppler effect and focus them to extreme field intensities. We show that very clear SF-QED signatures could be observed by placing a secondary target where the boosted beam is focused.
Many-particle QED is applied to kinetic theory of radiative processes in many- component plasmas with relativistic electrons and nonrelativistic heavy particles. Within the framework of nonequilibrium Green's function technique, transport and mass-shell equations for fluctuations of the electromagnetic field are obtained. We show that the transverse field correlation functions can be decomposed into sharply peaked (non-Lorentzian) parts that describe resonant (propagating) photons and off-shell parts corresponding to virtual photons in plasmas. Analogous decomposi- tions are found for the long…
In strong electromagnetic fields, unique plasma phenomena and applications emerge, whose description requires recently developed theories and simulations [Y. Shi, Ph.D. thesis, Princeton University (2018)]. In the classical regime, to quantify effects of strong magnetic fields on three-wave interactions, a convenient formula is derived by solving the fluid model to the second order in general geometry. As an application, magnetic resonances are exploited to mediate laser pulse compression, using which higher intensity pulses can be produced in wider frequency ranges, as confirmed by particle-i…
The cascaded production and dynamics of electron-positron plasma in ultimately focused laser fields of extreme intensity are studied by 3D particle-in-cell simulations with the account for the relevant processes of quantum electrodynamics (QED). We show that, if the laser facility provides a total power above 20 PW, it is possible to trigger not only a QED cascade but also pinching in the produced electron-positron plasma. The plasma self-compression in this case leads to an abrupt rise of the peak density and magnetic (electric) field up to at least $10^{28}$ cm$^{-3}$ and 1/20 (1/40) of the …
We perform two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of reconnection in magnetically dominated electron-positron plasmas subject to strong Compton cooling. We vary the magnetization $σ\gg1$, defined as the ratio of magnetic tension to plasma inertia, and the strength of cooling losses. Magnetic reconnection under such conditions can operate in magnetically dominated coronae around accreting black holes, which produce hard X-rays through Comptonization of seed soft photons. We find that the particle energy spectrum is dominated by a peak at mildly relativistic energies, which results from bu…
We propose a scheme to generate gamma-ray photons with an orbital angular momentum (OAM) and high energy simultaneously from laser-plasma interactions by irradiating a circularly polarized Laguerre-Gaussian laser on a thin plasma target. The spin angular momentum and OAM are first transferred to electrons from the driving laser photons, and then the OAM is transferred to the gamma-ray photons from the electrons through quantum radiation. This scheme has been demonstrated using three-dimensional quantum electrodynamics particle-in-cell simulation. The topological charge, chirality and carrier-e…
The emission of multi-MeV ($γ$-ray) photons from the interaction of a high-powered laser pulse with a dense plasma target is studied using particle-in-cell simulations. A new set of diagnostic techniques is presented and applied to analyze the intense field and ultra-relativistic electrons. Such methods elucidate the dominant processes responsible for efficient laser-to-$γ$ energy conversion, which include nonlinear Compton scattering and magneto-bremsstrahlung radiation, and provide a clear picture of the interaction on a microscopic level. We identify regions in the plasma target of high pho…
Properties of plasmoid-dominated turbulent reconnection in a low-$β$ background plasma are investigated by resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. In the $β_{\rm in} < 1$ regime, where $β_{\rm in}$ is plasma $β$ in the inflow region, the reconnection site is dominated by shocks and shock-related structures and plasma compression is significant. The effective reconnection rate increases from $0.01$ to $0.02$ as $β_{\rm in}$ decreases. We hypothesize that plasma compression allows faster reconnection rate, and then we estimate a speed-up factor, based on a compressible MHD theory. We va…
Development of the self-sustained quantum-electrodynamical (QED) cascade in a single strong laser pulse is studied analytically and numerically. The hydrodynamical approach is used to construct the analytical model of the cascade evolution, which includes the key features of the cascade observed in 3D QED particle-in-cell (QED-PIC) simulations such as the magnetic field predominance in the cascade plasma and laser energy absorption. The equations of the model are derived in the closed form and are solved numerically. Direct comparison between the solutions of the model equations and 3D QED-PIC…
We demonstrate that the nontrivial dispersion of a plasma driven by a high-intensity laser pulse qualitatively affects fundamental nonperturbative QED processes triggered by the laser pulse even in the case that no electrons remain in the interaction volume, e.g., due to ponderomotive expulsion. In the electron-free case this plasma effect is mediated by the response current of the residual ions as a dispersive effect on the laser propagation. The residual ions hence act as an effective background to the propagating electromagnetic laser field. We demonstrate that this has an impact on the fun…
We investigate how next-generation laser pulses at 10 PW $-$ 200 PW interact with a solid target in the presence of a relativistically underdense preplasma produced by amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). Laser hole boring and relativistic transparency are strongly restrained due to the generation of electron-positron pairs and $γ$-ray photons via quantum electrodynamics (QED) processes. A pair plasma with a density above the initial preplasma density is formed, counteracting the electron-free channel produced by the hole boring. This pair-dominated plasma can block the laser transport and tr…
The growth rates of seeded QED cascades in counter propagating lasers are calculated with first principles 2D/3D QED-PIC simulations. The dependence of the growth rate on laser polarization and intensity are compared with analytical models that support the findings of the simulations. The models provide an insight regarding the qualitative trend of the cascade growth when the intensity of the laser field is varied. A discussion about the cascade's threshold is included, based on the analytical and numerical results. These results show that relativistic pair plasmas and efficient conversion fro…
In this paper, we report our detailed analysis of the new strong-coupling regime between Alfvén and fast modes in Poynting-dominated plasma turbulence, reported in our previous work Takamoto & Lazarian (2016), which is an important effect for many relativistic plasma phenomena, and calls for new theories of Poynting-dominated MHD turbulence. We performed numerical simulations of relativistic MHD turbulence in isothermal plasmas, and analyzed the ratio of fast to Alfvén mode energy. We found that the increase of the fast mode with the background $σ$-parameter can be observed even in isothermal …
Space resolved concentrations of helium He metastable atoms in an atmospheric pressure radio-frequency micro-plasma jet were measured using tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy. The spatial profile of metastable atoms in the volume between the electrodes was deduced for various electrode gap distances. Density profiles reveal the sheath structure and reflect the plasma excitation distribution, as well as the dominance of the alpha-mode discharge. Gap width variations show the transition from a normal glow plasma to a pure sheath discharge. In order to analyze and verify the experimental…
A novel plasma equilibrium in the high-$β$, Hall regime that produces centrally-peaked, high Mach number Couette flow is described. Flow is driven using a weak, uniform magnetic field and large, cross field currents. Large magnetic field amplification (factor 20) due to the Hall effect is observed when electrons are flowing radially inward, and near perfect field expulsion is observed when the flow is reversed. A dynamic equilibrium is reached between the amplified (removed) field and extended density gradients.
Magnetic energy around astrophysical compact objects can strongly dominate over plasma rest mass. Emission observed from these systems may be fed by dissipation of Alfvén wave turbulence, which cascades to small damping scales, energizing the plasma. We use 3D kinetic simulations to investigate this process. When the cascade is excited naturally, by colliding large-scale Alfvén waves, we observe quasithermal heating with no nonthermal particle acceleration. We also find that the particles are energized along the magnetic field lines and so are poor producers of synchrotron radiation. At low pl…
Tightly focused laser pulses as they diverge or converge in underdense plasma can generate wake waves, having local structures that are spherical waves. Here we report on theoretical study of relativistic spherical wake waves and their properties, including wave breaking. These waves may be suitable as particle injectors or as flying mirrors that both reflect and focus radiation, enabling unique X-ray sources and nonlinear QED phenomena.