Project description
Probing quantum electrodynamics in strong laser fields
Quantum electrodynamics (QED) combines electromagnetism and quantum mechanics to explain how light interacts with matter. Although it is highly accurate, the theory struggles when dealing with ultra-intense light fields. Funded by the European Research Council, the EXAFIELD project seeks to push its perturbative regime in the laboratory by using an ultra-intense laser reflected off a plasma mirror at relativistic speeds. Researchers will then collide this ‘Doppler-boosted beam’ with ultrashort electron bunches generated from laser-plasma generators, enabling exploration of hitherto unknown areas of QED. Project results could enable researchers to determine the limits of current models and open up new research areas into the non-perturbative regime of QED.
Objective
Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) is the theory that unifies electromagnetism and quantum mechanics to describe how light and matter interact. Considered as one of the most accurately tested theories, it led Richard Feynman to call it the jewel of physics. Yet, in the strong-field (SF) regime, when the light fields are ultra-intense, this theory is only treated perturbatively and the non-perturbative regime of SF-QED remains a terra incognita as even no theory exists to predict the behaviour of nature.
The advent of multi-PW laser infrastructures now makes the SF-QED regime within experimental reach when considering the collision of relativistic electrons with such light pulses focused above 10^22W/cm2. Yet, all planned experiments to probe SF-QED with current technologies only propose to investigate its perturbative regime, expected to be well described by theory.
In the EXAFIELD project, I propose a new concept of experiments to exceed the perturbative limit of SF-QED in the lab. This will be achieved by reflecting an ultra-intense laser pulse off a plasma mirror at relativistic speed. The strong Doppler effect occurring upon reflection up-converts the near-infrared laser pulse down to the extreme ultraviolet range which enables both temporal compression to the attosecond timescale and spatial compression down to sub-micron size. This results in a considerable intensity boost at focus of more than three orders of magnitude up to a few-10^25W/cm2.
The collision of such a Doppler-boosted beam with ultrashort electron bunches generated from laser-plasma accelerators will allow us to access regimes where the SF-QED can no longer be treated perturbatively, producing very strong signatures in the lab. Characterizing how the observations deviate from the perturbative theory will enable us to determine the limits of validity of the perturbative models and will open to a new area of research toward the understanding of the non-perturbative regime of SF-QED.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics electromagnetism
- natural sciences physical sciences optics laser physics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-STG
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75794 PARIS
France
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